


The Mind is a Beautiful thing

by Kitsune_to_tenshi_chan



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Characters Swearing, F/M, Give me season 2 already, Haruhi is So Done, Honey is cute but badass, Mousou telepathy inspired, OC likes to make wisecracks, So many tags, The author questions her sense of humor, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, This is what happens, When you let me write an Ouran story, anime and manga - Freeform, mind powers, no beta we die like men, this is going to be fun
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-08-04 10:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 62,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16344947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_to_tenshi_chan/pseuds/Kitsune_to_tenshi_chan
Summary: Did you ever wonder what it would be like to have a special ability? Pretending to have super powers as a child? TV dramas and anime often depict them as a positive thing, but what if they were real? Honestly If you're like me, you'll often wish you didn't. Especially in a school full of rich pretentious brats like Ouran Academy. [HoneyxOC]! Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net





	1. Telepathy

**Author's Note:**

> She doesn't ask for much but would it kill everyone to quiet down their thoughts? She really doesn't want to know what goes on in your head.  
> Notes for current chapter:
> 
> Italics- Flashback
> 
> Normal text- Present text
> 
> Bold Italics- OC's thoughts
> 
> Italics with '- Thoughts of others

_"Koganegawa-chan what's the matter?" The teacher, Wakahisa-sensei, asked a seven year old girl this as she took her second grade class on a trip to the supermarket._

_'She's shaking like a leaf!'_

_That day's lesson was to be on nutrition and so the elementary school teacher opted to take them on a field trip. Everyone chattered, excited that they wouldn't have to be stuck in class for the whole day. Most children quivered with anticipation. This little girl on the other hand, she shook for a different reason entirely_.

When you were a kid, did you ever love playing super hero?

Pretending that you had all these amazing powers? Flying, super strength, speed, psychic abilities, the works? In TV dramas and anime it's often viewed as a positive thing. Like having that kind of power is coveted.

_'That's a big purse she's got there... Wonder if she'd fork it over for one of those brats' The deep voice of a man seemed to crawl through the child's ears. Wakahisa-sensei carried a heavy burlap tote with her that day filled with activity sheets for her students to fill out. The little girl knew that her sensei was carrying some money on her for the bus toll but it couldn't have been enough for this man._

Believe it or not I've got a power of my own.

I can see into the minds of other people. Read their thoughts. It's known as telepathy. You'd think it'd be something amazing right?

Well it's not.

In truth... It is not a positive thing... at all.

_Wide copper eyes welled with unshed tears as this thought entered her mind. She shook violently as she turned her head finding a man watching the class from a bench. He was unkept, if his scraggly beard and messy clothes were any indication. His white dress shirt and black pants were stained with food in some places._

I can't control it. You end up hearing everything even if you don't want to. From crushes, to secrets, to information.

_'Real pretty too... I've got my knife in my back pocket. That should be enough to scare her...' The child paled as his thoughts took a darker turn. Images of her teacher in an unspeakable situation filled her mind causing tears to run down her face. She whimpered as the man kept one hand in his back pocket while he rose from his seat._

Sometimes you hear things you wish you hadn't.

_"Koganegawa-chan what's wrong!?" The teacher panicked bending down._

_The rest of the class stared on at the scene in confusion._

_'What's wrong with the weirdo?' '_

_I've never seen her cry...' '_

_Does this mean we have to go back to school?'_

_"Dear what's wrong?" The teacher tried again. 'She just burst into tears so suddenly...'_

_Copper eyes stared into her own brown with the most unadulterated fear she'd ever seen in a grade schooler. The student could only whisper two words._

_"K-knife... man..." Wakahisa-sensei shot up with alarm. Quickly she grasped the child's shoulder and gave her a serious look. "_

_Are you sure?" As soon as she received a nod she asked another question. "Where?" 'Oh god... You've got to be kidding me... This can not be happening...' Her thoughts were running a mile a minute. The girl could feel the teacher's anxiousness melding with her own._

_She shook harder. "Dirty..." Was all the child could whisper. '_

_Dirty?' Wakahisa-sensei thought. Puzzled she turned slightly and searched the crowd around them and spotted the unkept man with hand in his pocket. Even she could tell that there was something off about the look in his eye. '_

_The brat with her will do...' The child immediately cried harder and the teacher knew she had to do something. "Class we're going to take a detour!" She suddenly announced earning groans from the rest of the class._

_She immediately huddled them together and they walked faster. All the while, her eyes darted around. 'Come on! There's got to be an officer somewhere!' Koganegawa merely clutched her sleeve and sniffed as the thoughts raced through her mind._

_T_ _he teacher's eyes finally landed on two men in uniform and she nearly cheered in relief. She took a chance to turn and saw the man getting closer, now shoving his way towards her and the students. Quickly, they made their way and she raced them towards the officers who looked at her in surprise._

_"Can we help you m-" He was immediately cut off by her breathless reply. "There is a man coming after us. He is armed and coming this way. He is wearing a white buttoned shirt and blue tie with stains, black pants, scruffy beard and greying hair. Please, I'm afraid he'll harm one of the kids!" She pleaded._

_'He's trying to disappear back into the crowd!' her mind reeled loudly, earning a pathetic whimper from the child still clutching her sleeve._

_One of the officers searched for a man matching the description and his eyes soon landed on him trying to make his escape. He blew into a whistle and began running. "STOP RIGHT THERE! I'M TALKING TO YOU SIR! DON'T MOVE!" His partner followed him and soon nearly everyone in the street watched them scuffle with wide eyes. Gasps filled the area as they managed to pin the offender down and wrestle the pocket knife from his grasp. Wakahisa-sensei watched the scene grimly and held her class close as they chattered about the exciting scene they'd just witnessed. She especially kept the terrified Koganegawa close to her stroking the girls tawny hair and shushing her gently._

I've been able to read minds since I was born. It used to scare me… hearing these voices all at once. My grandmother hears them too. She says it's a curse in the family. That those born with the copper eyes of the Koganegawa family can read minds. It happened to her great uncle, and aunt before her. To relatives long before them.

People thought that they were crazy. Her great uncle took to taking his own life when his fiancee left after he revealed the curse. She often jokes about how she was lucky that grandfather accepted the curse in stride when he married into the family, but I hear the seriousness in both her voice and thoughts. I know that she is eternally grateful for my grandfather's love.

I am the only other living person with the curse other than grandmother. The rest of my family has grown used to it though the uneasiness is still there sometimes. It took mother the longest when she heard of the Koganegawa family curse. She thought it'd been a joke, but when grandmother read her mind she learned to take it with the utmost seriousness. Grandmother helped her when they found that I inherited the eyes and with it the curse.

_"WAHHHHHHHH!" A little girl with tawny hair and copper eyes sobbed as she hid under a bench. She couldn't have been no more than three as she curled in on herself holding her ears._

_Her mother, a woman with black hair and dark brown eyes, tried to coax her out but winced as the girl only proceeded to cry even harder. Passerbys whispered as they walked by wondering what was wrong with the little girl._

When I was still a young kid it was difficult to go out and play like the others.

_"Isane please come out of there!" Her mother pleaded. "Sweetheart I know it hurts but we'll go some place quieter, I promise." She tried to keep her thoughts calm and too a minimum but it was difficult._

_It had been a simple outing. The mother and mother-in-law were shopping and took the child with them. They'd taken a break in a nearby park and all had been going well at first. She'd been running around and playing on the jungle gym and swings. As time went by however, more and more people began crowding the area, and with it more thoughts. Isane, who was still getting used to reading minds, suddenly began holding her head as the voices began swarming her head._

_Her vision began blurring and soon she found herself running towards a bench. Anywhere that was quiet. She crawled under the bench and cried for her mother, clutching her ears and wailed for the pain to stop._

Sometimes if there were too many thoughts in one place, I'd end up with horrible headaches.

_"_ _KAA-SAN! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!"_

The curse often made my mother feel powerless. She knew I was in pain, but she had no idea what it was like hearing all the voices, all the thoughts, seeing all the images that their minds conjured up.

_'Oh God please make this stop!' Her mother thought desperate for her daughter to stop crying out in pain. Her mother-in-law, father-in-law, and even her husband had warned her about the issues the curse would bring, but this was causing Isane so much hurt! It was unbearable that even though this was her daughter, as a mother she could only watch as Isane kept suffering._

My grandmother on the other hand, she knew that pain all too well.

_'Isane my dear. Focus on my thoughts all right?'_

_T_ _he child winced and the grandmother heard her shaken voice in her own mind. "Baa-chan it hurts...' she whimpered pathetically. The grandmother winced._

She knew all to well the implications that came with the Koganegawa curse. What it was like when she was in crowded places as a child and the tremendous pain the amount of voices brought. She'd gotten used to the pain with age though and soon, the voices weren't bothering her as much. _S_ he helped me the most, giving me advice and tips on how to deal with the voices that kept invading my mind. _'_

_Focus on my thoughts only dear. Just focus.' She pushed. Isane hiccuped as a few more tears leaked from her pain stricken hues. She did what she was told though and solely focused on her grandmother's mellow alto. Slowly but surely the rest of the noise merely became like static. Her sobs ebbed away as did the pain._

_'_ _Now please come out of there child. Your mother is worried sick.' The old woman coaxed. Carefully Isane crawled out from her spot only to be hugged tightly by her mother who began weeping herself._

_'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...' Her mother kept repeating it in her mind as she rocked her child back and forth._

_"_ _It would be wise for us to head back now Chiharu. I think this has been quite enough for the three of us today." The grandmother spoke softly so as not to disturb the mother and daughter. The mother nodded scooping Isane up and held her tightly._

It's also… It's difficult to make friends…

_'Freak'_

You hear what people really think of you.

_'If I befriend Chizuru will that let me get close to Hitoshi-kun? I don't like her though! She's too weird!'_

Sometimes they pretend just to gain something from you.

_'Why would anyone want to be near you? We don't want you around don't you get that? Just go away already!'_

Others... They pretend to be nice while their thoughts say otherwise.

_Her brows furrowed as she kept hearing all the thoughts of the children around her. They were just so... cruel. A few girls walked past her and eyed her distastefully. One of them whispered and they all laughed giving her evil grins._

_'That's Koganegawa right?'_

_'She looks so gloomy. It's an eyesore.'_

_'Akane should have that bucket of mop water set up over the doorway by now. Hehe...'_

_Long tawny hair covered her frustrated expression. What was with these girls and targeting her all the time?! They pulled pranks from stealing her school supplies to hiding her lunch and talking behind her back. It was bad enough most of the class thought she was weird but it wasn't her fault._

_Did they not realize how annoying their own thoughts were?! The girls always had clothes, make-up or celebrities on their minds and it was getting annoying seeing them day dreaming about dating the latest male celebrity who caught their fancy._

_The boys were almost just as bad. They were getting to that age where they were becoming curious about girls. It was creepy but at the same time, interesting how their theories of anatomy differences came about._

_'Girls don't have XXX right?'_

_'Mom says she'll tell me when I'm older.'_

_'If girls don't have XXX does that mean they're like the dolls my sister plays with?'_

_She walked towards her classroom and stopped for a moment hearing the thoughts of the group of girls that had it out for her._

_'There's a rumor that Nishimura-kun has a crush on Konganegawa.'_

_'This'll teach her not to get near my Nishimura-kun!'_

_'Ayane and Tsukiko agreed almost instantly to the idea. Akane too. Tch... How long until they realize they're just my stepping stones to Nishimura-kun. After this is over Koganegawa's just going to be one less obstacle.'_

Nothing good comes from being able to read a person's mind. You're better off not knowing what they think at all.

_C_ _opper eyes glinted with anger but she wanted to bark out a rueful laugh. Takuya Nishimura was one of the few who were nice to her in class and the only one she truly called a friend. It wasn't a secret that most of the girls in their grade liked him. He was kind to everyone unless you irked him greatly and it was no surprise to her that his thoughts on these girls were less than amiable since they liked to pick on her. She caught her sensei walking towards the door._

_**'G** _ _**omen sensei but this is going to be a necessary evil unfortunately.'** _

_"Koganegawa? Why aren't you entering the classroom?" He asked her raising a brow. She was one of his quieter students and diligent so normally there were no problems in dealing with the young grade schooler. Although there was a rumor that she could feel when things were going to happen, but this was just something he'd heard from Wakahisa-sensei who's class almost had an encounter with an armed man. Koganegawa had been a part of that class._

_Her unusual copper eyes gazed at him in uncertainty. She was small for her age and gangly with long thick tawny locks and a natural tan tint to her skin. Most of the students in his classroom preferred to stay away from her deeming the girl too odd for their tastes save for Nishimura who welcomed her with open arms._

_A shame no else tried really. Koganegawa was a good kid._

_"Sensei I think the door's stuck." She said gesturing to the slightly ajar door. They could hear the chatter of the other children. "I think something's stuck in the doorframe and no one paid attention when I tried to ask." The man raised an eyebrow but complied and went to open the door wider. He encountered some resistance but pushed with more force._

_"Well it does feel like there's-" *CRASH* He was cut off when a bucket sitting on top of the door came down on top of him and mop water spilled everywhere. The students sitting next the door shrieked as water landed on them as well. The entire class was deathly silent as the teacher yanked the bucket off of his head and looked at the scene flabbergasted. The perpetrators in question paled and shrunk in their seats while the rest gawked. His face began to turn red and slowly deepened into scarlet. His brows furrowed and he grit his teeth._

_"Koganegawa... Please do me a favor and get the janitor... Now..." She was all too happy to comply and as soon as she left, the dam burst. "YOU BRATS!" Echoed through the halls causing some teachers and lagging students to stop and see what the commotion was about. After that, the perpetrators were found out and severely punished for not only their prank but for the fact that they had been aiming to humiliate a fellow classmate._

_No one dared to pull a prank on Koganegawa again for the remainder of the year._

I suppose it does have an upside too though.

_"Hi! I'm Takuya! Want to be friends?" A pale skinned boy with spiky black hair and grey eyes held his hand out to her beaming. There were no malicious thoughts in his head. Only the desire to make a new friend._

Sometimes you do manage find the people who genuinely like you.

 _"You're funny! Can we be friends?"_ _A girl with bright green eyes and curly black hair giggled cheerfully. Her thoughts filled with nothing but art, fun, and joy at the prospect of having companionship._

You differentiate who is truly your friend and who your enemies are. Only two other people outside of the family know and they are my closest friends sworn to secrecy. They do their best to understand the curse and that's all I can ask of them. They really are the best that I could ever ask for and ever want as friends. In short, I'm grateful.

I don't make friendships with any others though. I know for a fact that they wouldn't be as accepting of my situation. Especially considering the school I go to is full of rich condescending brats. Everyday their mouths fire off spiel about designer clothes, trips, and how much money they have in their pockets. Through most of their heads are myriads of information on other students, their families, and the possible gain for future enterprise endeavors. It's annoying and frankly revolting how some of them pretend friendship.

As Nim Lee stated 'It's a dog eat dog world out there'.

People are usually friends with each other simply because, but considering this is a school for children who are heirs and heiresses of businesses, they try to get as many allies as they can. I consider my family to be decently well off. We're mainly a family of artisans though a few have often strayed that path to pursue other passions such as my eldest brother, an ER nurse. My grandfather is a blacksmith and my grandmother was once a prominent actress in Japanese theater. My father is a chef running a small but well known restaurant in the Bunkyo area, while my mother is an architect for a renowned construction company. As for myself, I'm still finding my way through life though I am fond of writing. We have a saying in our family:

'Your passion is your guiding principle'.

We're each expected to make our own way into life. I got into Ouran Academy due to the fame of my grandmother and my father respectfully. Two of my older brothers were already working while the third was in his second year of high school when was offered invitation to attend during my second year of middle school though it was initially refused. My family knew how important my two friends were to me and wanted me to finish with them before we went into high school.

My first year of Ouran… Ugh… How should I put this? I'm trying to tolerate everyone. I really am. The classes are based off intelligence and how high your family is in the world. Basically they judge you on your grades and breeding.

While my grades are good if I do say so myself, my breeding on the other hand, well basically they put me in C class. I suppose it could have been worse though. D class was mainly Yakuza children from what I'd heard and though I knew better than to judge I was wary mind you.

The amount of thoughts in one space is hard to ignore though. This is currently my present issue.

_'Oh such a pretty bracelet! Did Daichi-chan get it from the Chloe brand?'_

' _Hmmm... Aizawa-kun's family owns a chain of banks. I wonder if father would be pleased if I make an acquaintance with him.'_

_'Mother and Father are holding a ball at the house next week for a merger between our company and Hashimoto Corps. Where should I get my dress? Chanel? Chloe? Perhaps something bold like Alexander McQueen?'_

_'What time is practice with the soccer team? I should probably ask during lunch.'_

_**'Is it too much to ask for peace and quiet... Wait what am I saying... of course it is. Not even the libraries are quiet. What the hell is that about anyway?'**_  Once again my head is currently pounding from all of their damn voices.

Imagine you're surrounded by speakers that are turned up at all sorts of volumes. Now imagine that they are constantly on for nine hours with only an hour and a half break in between and until you actually get out of the building. That basically sums up what it's like in this class of fifty people and in this building of who knows how many teachers and teenagers. Lunch hour is literally the only time it's completely quiet in the classroom so I end up eating in there or the room where the Tea Ceremony Club used to meet before it shut down.

I looked down at my hands and grimaced at the yellow uniform. Don't get me wrong it's surprisingly very comfy and I don't have anything against the color but, petty as it is, I feel like this is clashing with my hair and skin tone pretty badly. I feel like I'm one of those peeps marshmallows that my friend Kiraz showed me once with the puffiness of the dress.

It's a whole new world here. Everything is gilded and so fancy that I'm scared I'll break something. The atmosphere here is suffocating. Although that just might be the collar of the uniform doing that. At least when the professor walked in their actual voices managed to quiet down a bit. It might only be a little relief but beggars can't be choosers.

 _'All right time to get this group of brats working again._ ' He thought. "Gather your textbooks. We'll be doing some reading out loud today. Aizawa-san start us off on page 234."

I tried to focus on the lecture but the voices around me were returning again and the different volumes were riling my headache up. Some were louder than others declaring their boredom. Others began fantasizing and imagery began to pop up in their thoughts. The pounding wasn't stopping and I'm gritting my teeth at this point.

"Koganegawa-san please read the next passage." The professor announced once more and I had no choice but to follow. I stood up with some difficulty and at this point I'm biting back a groan because it feels like my vision is getting hazy.

"In light of the misfortune... Lady... Aberdeen..."

Why is everything sounding so distant?

A few students turned in my direction with odd stares.

 _'Is she ok?_ '

_'She won't throw up will she? Good thing I'm not next to her...'_

_'Koganegawa-san?_ '

_**'Shut up... Just shut up for a bit please...'** _

Why was I born with this stupid ability? I can't stand the constant onslaught of voices. It's hell. I just want to sleep and wake up not hearing any of them... Now the teacher was giving me a funny look.

"Kogane..." That was all I heard before everything seemed to tilt on it's axis. The last thing I remember was my peers looking horrified and the teacher running towards me. Then everything went blissfully black.

* * *

 

I heard the voices of their minds first.

_'What the hell happened?!'_

_'Isane...'_

_'Dear can you hear me? It's your grandmother... Please Isane dear...'_

_'Imouto-chan? Sis?'_

_'Damn... I know dad said she fainted at school but she's been out for a while...'_

My eyes felt like weights had been sewn on them. I was lying against something soft. A bed? Was I home?

"Isane? Isane sweetheart can you hear me? Can you hear us?" Their actual voices began accompanying the thoughts now and I had to force my eyes open.

"Mmmm..." Light blinded me for a moment. I had to keep blinking until my vision finally came into focus. My family was staring down at me in varying levels of worry.

"Kaa-san...?" It felt like I'd been hit by a truck. "What...?" "

Oh thank kami..." Mother breathed. My father collapsed into the chair behind him. Short tawny hair, darker in color compared to my own, was stuck to his forehead as sweat dripped down the side of his face. He was still in his chef's uniform which consisted of a traditional short sleeved jacket and mesh hat. His light brown eyes conveyed exhaustion.

All three of my older brothers gazed at me with relief. The eldest, Yukinosuke sighed, the middle brother Ryuuji smiled with relief, and the youngest of my older brothers, Jun, was holding my hand in his tightly. Jun's own tawny locks were unwinding from his pony tail and his dark eyes were riddled with fear.

Ryuuji's dark eyes were heavy with exhaustion and his equally dark hair was mussed. Grandmother and Grandfather gripped each other's hands tightly and I could feel the relief in their thoughts.

"You seriously scared us Isane..." Ryuu-nii breathed ruffling my hair. His work clothes were wrinkled from what I guess was from sitting in one of the chairs.

 _ **'Did he come straight from work?'**_ I got my answer when he supplied it in his mind.

 _'I came straight from the shop._ ' it whispered. Ryuu-nii runs a glass shop in Akihabara and was quickly creating a reputation for the beautiful sculptures he could create. It's his passion just as grandfather's is working with metal to create beauty.

 _ **'Then that means Yuki-nii and Jun-nii came straight from work and school.**_ ' I thought.

Yuki-nii works in an ER clinic near Hongo while Jun-nii goes to the local community college. He's studying business first before going to a culinary school in Akita. He wants to own and operate a bakery.

"What happened?" My throat hurts from using my voice. It's like all the moisture is gone. Grandfather wordlessly held a glass of water to my mouth. I gulped down the cold liquid relishing the chill that went down my throat.

"Miss Koganegawa?" A doctor walked in holding a chart. He looked up and gave a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

_'Hmph... A lower class family.'_

My brow twitched in annoyance as my mind digested this piece of information and I felt grandmother's hand squeeze mine tightly. She'd heard him too. Then I noticed the name tag on his lab coat. Dr. Yuuichi Ootori. A last name I was very familiar with. The Ootori family runs a business in hospital management. The leader of the zaibatsu, Yoshio Ootori, is infamous for his calculative nature as are the two eldest sons Yuuichi and Akito. The only daughter was rumored to have been married off to the son of a business partner. I'm not sure of the third son though. I only know he's in my year and the top of his class.

 _ **'An A class asshole... of course**_ ' I wanted to grumble but I held my tongue.

"You collapsed in your class and the academy had to call for an ambulance. We couldn't exactly find anything wrong with you and we even performed a CT scan and an MRI. It seems the fainting was caused by stress." He proceeded to ask if there had ever been any other instances where this happened.

"There was one time when she was at school. Our physician also said it was stress. Isane said she also felt like she was going to be sick a few times at school but she thought it was just her trying to adjust because she was new." Yukinosuke spoke up confusing the rest of us.

The only other time I had fainted was during a sports festival back in middle school. I tried to peek into his mind but all he thought was _'I'll explain later. Not now.'_

The Ootori doctor looked him up and down. Yukinosuke was still wearing his green scrubs. "You're a nurse..." He muttered. _'From another hospital at that.'_ he thought.

Yuki-nii narrowed his eyes. "Yes I am. Is there a problem Dr. Ootori?" Light brown eyes peered at him from under a black fringe daring him to say something about his choice of medical profession. _'I should hope he has the decency to keep that talk outside of these kinds of matters... self righteous prick...'_

I wanted to smile. Leave it to Yuki-nii to have bark as bad as his bite.

"No problem at all. However based on my diagnosis, Miss Koganegawa may be suffering from 'Psychogenic psuedosyncope'." Dr. Ootori explained.

At our puzzled expressions, Yuki-nii broke it down. "It's fainting due to anxiety." 

The doctor spoke again. "I'd like to keep Miss Koganegawa under observation for the rest of the night. If nothing else is wrong then she may go home tomorrow morning. Please keep in mind that visiting hours are almost over as well. On that note I believe you'll want to speak with the chairman about keeping her home to learn." With that he left us to our own devices.

"How long was I out for?" I asked.

Ryuu-nii grimaced. "At least five hours. What caused you to faint like that anyway?" I returned the grimace as I recalled what happened.

Grandmother frowned as she saw it in my mind. "So that's why." I nodded.

"I overloaded." Overload is short for Telepathic Overload, which is basically a term my friend Takuya made up. It's actually more like sensory overload. If there are too many thoughts overwhelming me at one time, my mind will literally shut itself off for a while. It happened once in middle school during one of the sports festivals and I was out for a few minutes. I'd never been unconscious for several hours though.

"What do we do about school though?" My mother questioned. _'Isane how many people are in your class?'_ I groaned at the literal thought.

"There's at least fifty people in my class. The C and D classes are the biggest. A and B have thirty people in each class I think. That's counting students who were living overseas."

Ryuu-nii raised a brow. "Fifty people? No wonder you fainted. Everyone's thoughts must have been running a mile a minute." _'Isane said that they usually have money and business running through their heads. To knock her out like that though... The classes in her middle and elementary school were much smaller with at least twenty kids.'_

"Okaa-san's right though." Jun-nii brought up. "What if Isane faints again and for longer?"

"I try to find a quiet place but it's almost impossible during study hall. Even the libraries are full of people chattering. Lunch hour is the only time I have any peace." I brought up.

Otou-san shot me a horrified look. "Is that why you've been cooking and asking me to help you make a lunch so often?" I gave a hesitant nod and he frowned deeply.

"Isane why didn't you say something earlier?" _'Do you know how scared I was when the chairman called saying that you fainted?!'_ The next thought was directed towards grandmother. _'Mother did you know about this?'_

Grandmother shook her head softly. "No I'm afraid not. You know I don't listen to anyone's thoughts on purpose. Sometimes Isane would think of school but it was never anything about the size of her class. Just that their thoughts made it difficult to focus."

Grandfather spoke next. "We still have to figure out a situation about that school of hers though." He frowned and combing a few fingers through his short gray mustache. "They probably won't let her move into the higher classes based on our net worth. Tch... bunch a pricks..."

"Hisao." Grandmother admonished him but she sighed ruefully. "You make a fair point though dear. It won't matter how smart Isane is. They will take one look at how much money we have and shoot us down."

It was my eldest brother who came up with the final solution. "That's why I told Dr. Ootori that Isane's had fainting episodes before. We'll talk to the chairman about letting her learn at home." Yuki-nii spoke earning a few stares from the rest of the family.

"Wanna explain Yuki-nii?" Ryuu-nii stared at him puzzled.

"Psychogenic psuedosyncope is fainting due to anxiety. The doctor ruled this as an issue with her schooling. If we play our cards right she might be able to learn her school lessons from home." He explained. Mother mulled it over in her head.

"It's a good idea but how will we get away with it? Dr. Hanamura will demand to know why we didn't mention this. He's the family physician after all."

Yuki-nii smirked. "As I said Kaa-san, if Isane passed it off as just her nerves it would have been the end of that until now."

That's what ended up happening. The compromise we made with the chairman was that I would learn from home and come to hand in assignments at the end of the week and take quizzes and exams. In the end that's how the rest of my first year's gone and it's how my second year will go too I suppose. Well… I guess that's it for now… Time to survive another day… Here's to hoping nothing crazy happens this year. Then again I won't be here for most of it.


	2. Friendship vs Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isane begins her second year with meeting someone whose mind doesn't drift to their pockets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is chapter 2! I only own my OCs!  
> Notes:  
> (Bold Italics)- Isane's thoughts
> 
> (Italics)- The thoughts of others
> 
> *- a note to make at the end of the chapter

Isane's POV

"Once again, I will never understand what the chairman was thinking when he wanted this place to be pink..." I mumbled standing in front of the gilded gates that lead to the equally massive learning establishment for the rich that was Ouran Academy. With it's gardens, fountains, and french architecture it really is a sight to behold. You wouldn't think that this was a school at all. I walked towards the guards and showed them my school ID. Hey it's a school full of heirs, heiresses, and children of famous people. Security is no joke when it comes to this place. The guard holding my ID glanced back at me and raised a brow.

_'This kid is one of the students here?'_  His mind supplied with confusion as he looked back and forth between me and my picture.

It was understandable where he was coming from. There was no fancy car or limo containing a girl of princess like stature in a yellow uniform. Instead, in front of him and the other guard stood a lanky bean pole of a girl on a black and red bicycle wearing casual clothes. Seeing as I only come in at the end of the week, there's no point of wearing a uniform if I'm only there for an hour or two. I just wore a white t-shirt under a loose sleeveless black hoodie and a pair of red and black plaid cargos that were folded at the calves. My feet sported a pair of black and white chucks and on my back was a red backpack. My hair was pulled into a messy bun that was held together with a metal hair pin. It's silver with three rows of tiny glass beads dangling from the knot at the top. My grandfather and Ryuu-nii created it for me as a birthday present and I almost always wear it. My bangs are side-swept across my forehead stopping about two inches above my eyebrows and two locks of hair frame either side of my face.

Now for the bike. We're well off but the only one who actually needs a chauffeur to get around is my grandmother. Despite the fact that she retired from the stage years ago, the theater company she worked for during her career asked her to remain as an acting coach and as a member of the director's board. She says it gives her something to do.

We all know that she just likes to watch people squirm under her stare.

Technically all the adults in the family have licenses but because she shares the curse, my grandmother can't drive. The inner city is often heavily congested with traffic during midday and the amount of voices in both mind and real life are irritating to the point that she's unable to focus on the road. As for me, I usually just take my bike to go places, or the train and bus when it's not too crowded on weekends. It's easier on the rest of my family who need to drive early in the morning for work and school.

All in all, I look like what my peers refer to as a commoner (a normal person from middle-class background). Not some rich brat that should fit in with this posh school.

Anyway, back to the guards who were looking at me in confusion.

' _Well this is an Academy ID and there is a Koganegawa attending here.'_  The one holding my ID thought while the other was calling the chairman to verify that I actually was a student here.

"Hello? Chairman Suoh? Yes this is Takahashi Gorou. Yes I'm one of the guards on duty this evening. I'm afraid I must ask for verification that we have a Koganegawa Isane attending the academy. Yes she is." He paused as he listened to the chairman on the other line. Slowly he grew pale and he broke out into a cold sweat. His thoughts paused for a moment before they flashed into my mind rapidly.

_Oh crap she really is a student here! C class or not her family makes more than I do!'_ He panicked slightly and I frowned. This is also another reason why I don't like being a part of the school. Most of the staff feels obligated to put on a mask of sincerity because they're afraid one wrong move will kick them from a job. Even the most menial position here makes more than your average minimum wage so they're forced to put on sticker-book smiles to save their skins.

"I see. Very well. Thank you for the information Chairman." He turned to the other male and nodded before mumbling to him. This guard looked at me in shock before immediately handing me back my ID.

"We're terribly sorry about this inconvenience Koganegawa-sama." He apologized before they both gave a slight bow. I nodded and was about to pedal but stopped. Their thoughts were panicked wondering if I would report this to my family.

_'Please have mercy. This job is all I have to help pay for Masami's college...'_

_'She's going to have us fired... Might as well ask Moriyama for my old job.'_

Had I been raised like a child of the elite at the top of the proverbial food chain then maybe I would. I was not though and certainly wasn't bratty enough to complain about something so trivial. I had not been raised that way and would not act foolishly.

"Um..." I made a noise and they turned to me stone faced. There was a flash of panic in their eyes and their thoughts were flying at breakneck speed. I winced in return thinking my words over. Due to my tiny social circle consisting of my two best friends and because of my telepathy, I'm not exactly in line to win the award for 'best in socializing'.

More like 'best in being socially awkward'.

"Listen... There's nothing to be sorry about... If I were in your shoes I'd react the same way. I'm not going to get you fired just because you were doing your jobs" I paused thinking about what else to say. "Would it be possible for you guys to hold onto my bike? I'm pretty sure there's still no investment in bike racks."

There... finished the sentence and though it was awkward I was happy that the two of them were no longer worrying. It was more like they were puzzled by my actions but in the end they agreed to hold onto my bike.

"Thanks." I turned towards the path that lead to the school and made a slight face at the pink building. "If I wanted to go to a pink castle I would have gone to Disneyland." I mumbled that out but the guards must have heard me because one snorted and the other nudged him. I was proven correct when I heard his thoughts. ' _Oh that's a good one. Wait 'til I tell Yamazaki that.'_

_**'Why thank you. Making wise-cracks is a specialty of mine.'**_ I thought to myself as the distance decreased and the school loomed over me.

* * *

*No one's POV*

As soon as the strange girl left towards the school, the men breathed a sigh of relief.

"Damn... for a minute I really did think we were on the chopping block." One said. "Hey Takahashi, what did the chairman say about the kid anyway? It's weird she came to school at the end of the day." He spoke as he moved Isane's bicycle into the station and began writing a note to the rest of the guard staff that it was to be watched.

"Fuyukawa I'm not supposed to hash out details regarding the students and other staff members here. That's all private. All I can tell you is that she has special permission. A condition doesn't enable her to be able to attend normally." Takahashi said wiping the sweat from his brow.

Just as they were about to clock out, the guard called Fuyukawa froze. Takahashi gave him a strange look. "Fuyu-"

"Takahashi?" He asked the other guard uncertainly. When the other grunted that he was listening he continued. "How did she know we were worried about getting fired?"

Takahashi was about to retort when he paused thinking it over.  _Now that I think about it we didn't say anything._ He frowned thinking deeply.

"Come on let's clock out already. I want to go home"

* * *

_Why is she wearing casual clothes?'  
_

_'There's another commoner here?'_

_'That's Koganegawa isn't it?'_

_'Did you see what she's wearing? So boyish!'_

Thoughts were mixing with murmurs and laughter that started echoing in the halls. There weren't that many people but the echo was starting to grate on my nerves. Students who passed me sent strange looks, nods of recognition or simply gawked at my choice of dress.

I don't fit the mold for girls in Ouran. The ones that I see here are brought up to be proper, feminine and polite. Most of them are petite with porcelain skin. In a sense, they remind me of dolls. Molded and created until deemed perfect ladies and married off to strengthen business relations. Frankly, I'm none of these things and everyone who was in my class last year knows this. To them I'm just some vulgar weirdo with no sophisticated bone in her body. You swear one time after someone drops a thick book on your foot and suddenly you're a menace to society. Frankly I would prefer the term 'sarcastic sass-mouth'. It's what my brothers and my friends call me anyway.

I gazed at the high ceilings with a frown. Honestly it was stupid how enormous they really were. Now that I think about it, the more I keep staring at the ceiling, the bigger the hall feels. It was like 'Alice in Wonderland' but I'm positive I haven't drunk anything that would have caused any shrinking. 

_**Why on Earth did the chairman feel the need to design these halls with arches?**_   Don't get me wrong they're pretty, but I don't see the point of having them in a school. Then again, Kiraz would probably appreciate the aesthetics more than I would. She loves art and architecture is not exempt from this.

"Alright let's see... I've spoken with Kobayashi-sensei, Mikage-sensei..." So far I've talked to a few of my teachers about the coursework for the classes I'd be taking this year. My backpack was currently filled with syllabi, and text books the classes would be using. It was a pain in the neck talking about my so called 'anxiety disorder' though. They just kept looking at me with pity as their thoughts broadcast their apologies.

_**Stupid curse…**_  Sometimes I wonder what things would be like if I wasn't cursed to read minds. Would I be like the rest of these students here? Would I have more friends besides Takuya and Kiraz? What would it be like to be completely normal?

_'Dammit… isn't there any place in here that's quiet?'_ Now there's a thought that brought me out of my musings. Whoever it was, I could practically hear seething under the frustrated tone although I couldn't place the gender. Low for a girl but a little soft to be a teenage boy's. Even so, I can't resist the call of curiosity sometimes so I walked over to a set of stairs that led to the upper north hallway in the south wing. More thoughts entered my mind along with the actual voice of the person mumbling some profanities under their breath.

' _Even the libraries are loud. Does no one understand the concept of silence?'_

I had to bite back a retort at the thought.  _ **Unfortunately for you, they're always this loud. Most of them are more concerned with socializing rather than academics. *Sheep with golden fleeces I say.**_ Drawing closer, I noticed books sprawled all over the floor. A lot of books. Not the kind that you read for fun though. There were textbooks, study guides, notebooks, the works. I gathered them into a neat pile in my arms. 

_**Whoever this is, that's a lot for one person to carry.**_ At the foot of the stairs was a boy. He was picking up school supplies scattered around him. A few students who passed by ignored him. Others chuckled at the sight while walking. I made a face at this. _ **Way to be good Samaritans people. They should write epics about your kindness...**_ Told you I'm sarcastic. At least internally.

"Do you need a hand?" The poor guy jumped out of his skin when he heard me. Big brown eyes hiding behind a pair of thick lenses met mine in surprise. I didn't wait for a response and bent down to help him gather everything. I'd already collected some of his books so I might as well keep making myself useful.

"Thanks… You know you don't have to help me…" He started but I cut him off.

"It's no problem." Picking up an ID off the floor, I was about to hand it over to him but then glanced down at it and I'm pretty sure my eyebrows shot up to my hairline. Instead of a picture of a boy, a pretty girl with the same face as the person next to me stared ahead with a small smile.  ** _Haruhi Fujioka? A girl?_**

"You're a girl?" I couldn't help but blurt out and wanted to smack myself afterward. Another thing to note about me is that sometimes I have no filter whatsoever. Again blame my socializing skills. My family and friends actually find this hilarious. Others... not so much.

The now revealed girl nodded. "Biologically yeah. Why? You thought I was a guy?"  _'Well I guess I don't blame her for assuming that. I just put on whatever I grabbed first this morning._

Let me explain. She has dark hair and big brown eyes behind the thick lenses she's wearing. Short and choppy is the best way to describe her haircut without insult. The glasses she's wearing appear old and swallow up most of the upper portion of her face. To top it all off her clothes consist of a baggy maroon jumper over a white button up shirt, tan slacks and a pair of black shoes. Overall, frumpy is the best word I can think of right now. She honestly does look like a frumpy boy. The difference between the picture and the girl standing in front of me was so striking that I was still having a bit of an issue processing it.

**_'Oh boy... Please don't start if I say yes.'_**  I wanted to cringe as I apologized. Based off the odd look she gave I guess I did. "Yea. Sorry. You really do look like a guy with what you're wearing though."

"It's okay. I don't really care about things like that... and again...thanks for helping me. You really didn't have to." She was gazing at me with those big eyes of hers and gave me a quirk of a smile. Relief instantly flooded my system and I wanted to slump. I always have to be careful with what I say. Especially in this school. You don't want to insult the wrong people. Sometimes I can't help what I say and other times I just keep my mouth shut.

"I'm Haruhi Fujioka by the way. If you saw my name on my ID already." She introduced herself.

I mulled over introducing myself for a bit.  _ **Why not. It's not like we'll ever talk again.**  _I don't come to hand in assignments until the end of the week and from the looks of it this girl is a first year. "Isane Koganegawa. Class 2-C. Pleasure to meet you I guess."

She blinked at me.  _My senpai?_  "Koganegawa-senpai then. I'm in Class 1-A. Nice to meet you too."  _She actually seems really nice. I'm the only honors student here and from what I saw today everyone just seems to be living in their own little world._  

This thought made me blink.  _ **So she's this year's honor student.**_ Snippets of her day flashed through my mind and I had to keep my face from scrunching up with distaste at some of the people in her class. Seems like they were either too full of themselves or wanted nothing to do with the student from the other side of the hierarchical spectrum.

"Again um... Sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to." We got up from the ground finally finishing with her books. I felt like I had to apologize again. She could have taken serious offense to my word vomit after all. I rubbed the back of my neck looking down at her. She had to be at least 5 feet. I towered over her at 5'7.

Fujioka chuckled a bit and waved her hand dismissing the apology. "It's fine senpai. Like I said I don't really care if anyone sees me as a boy or a girl. It's what's on the inside that counts right?" My mouth twitched into a slight smile but as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.

_**Don't try to make any other friends. They wouldn't understand remember?**_   I chided myself. Takuya and Kiraz accidentally found out about the curse the year I fainted in middle school when there were too many thoughts crowded around me during the sports festival. Sometimes I still can't believe that they took it into stride and we remained friends. Close friends at that. Again though, this was a school for the rich. No one would appreciate another constantly hearing their thoughts or secrets. Not even this honors student.

"Still though I can't believe this place. I just want to study in peace but all four of the libraries here are so loud. It's like they don't know the meaning of the word quiet."  _Seriously not one room around here is._

Oh right... She was looking for a place to study earlier.

"So that's what was bugging you?" She raised a brow at the question. "I heard you swearing earlier. A lot of people here would be pretty scandalized hearing those come out of a girl's mouth."

The look on her face was less than impressed. "What about you? I'd think you'd be pretty scandalized about that too." She retorted dryly.  _Rich Bastards..._

I shrugged my shoulders. "I probably would if I hadn't sworn during study hall last year." At her questioning gaze I explained. "Someone in my class dropped a heavy book on my foot and I ended up screaming bloody murder. After that most of them are still convinced I'm a 'menace to society'. I rolled my eyes.

"Besides I'm used to my grandfather swearing up a storm. Especially on mahjong night." I chuckled at the thought. One thing to know about my grandfather is that he stinks at mahjong. Don't let him tell you otherwise. When he has his friends over for one of their weekly games, you can hear him cussing from the other side of the house. It's hilarious.

"Oh…" Was all the other spoke for a moment. "So why aren't you in the uniform?" She asked quietly as she checked that all of her books were secure in her bag. M _aybe she just changed out of the uniform? I mean they don't look very comfortable... Her clothes don't look fancy though. I think I might've actually seen something like those in the clothing store by the supermarket.  
_

"I only come here to hand in assignments, take quizzes, exams, the works. Homeschool in a way basically. I've got something along the lines of special permission and the teachers are nice enough that they'll send me videos of the week's lessons. The uniforms are okay comfort-wise but I'm not fond of dresses and I felt like a yellow marshmallow." I prefer a kimono to a puffy dress anyway

Fujioka groaned when I brought up them up. "I don't get why the uniforms here are so expensive. Each one is about 300,000 yen. That's more than my dad and I can afford so I came in dressed like this."  _Still though I wish I hadn't lost my contacts this week. These glasses keep trying to slip off of my face._  Her thoughts grumbled matching her current mood.

"The uniforms are expensive because the chairman had them designed with expensive materials. The children of rich families go here so they expect only the best. So back to your issue: No place to study?"

Fujioka nodded sighing and gestured to the stairs in front of us."I checked all four of them. How are they able to study with all of the noise going on?"

"Private tutoring at home is my guess. Trying to get studying done in the libraries is a waste though. It's always noisy." 

_You've got to be kidding me._  Was her next thought and she looked at me in desperation.  _ **I guess studying at home isn't an option for her?**_

"I do know a place that is quiet though.." I gestured to the staircase in front of us. "If you climb up the stairs here, there's a room all the way at the end of the north wing hallway that no one uses. It used to belong to the Tea Ceremony Club but they disbanded due to lack of members the year before. No one will bother you."

Fujioka smiled, her mindset grateful. "Thank you so much Koganegawa-senpai." She resumed walking up the stairs. Just as I was about to leave to go home, Haruhi called out to me surprisingly. "Hey senpai?"

I turned around confused. Usually people here didn't give me a second thought. "...Yeah? What's up?"

Fujioka's mouth quirked up. "For someone who's rich, you're actually very nice. I hope you know that." With that she quickly climbed the stairs.

I stayed at the bottom of the staircase for a few moments frozen in place. "She said I was nice... " My cheeks were heating up now but I could care less at the moment. At this school I've been called, strange, vulgar, and a few other things, but nice had never been one of them. It was a pleasant feeling. Finally though, I managed to walk out of the school and back to the guard station at the front of the gates.

"Your bike Koganegawa-sama." A different guard was waiting and rolled my bike towards me. They must have changed shifts a while ago.

"Thank you very much." With that I pedal off home ready to begin studying and ready for another year to pass.

* * *

Unlike most of the students who live close to the academy, I live much further away. I pass mansions of every shape, size, and design until I reach the edge of the suburb. This is where my family lives. In comparison to the giant mansions that take up the area, the Koganegawa estate is tiny. It's the land that surrounds the estate that's massive. I may come from money, but I'm technically considered new money. Our family hails from a long line of artisans, but it was a struggle for many past members to make a living with their passions even if they did build connections. My great-great grandfather on the other hand, managed to make a decent living as a builder and with the help of a friend, saved up enough money to create a home to raise his, then large, family. This is the house that my grandmother grew up in and it is where I have grown up as well.

Surrounded by stone walls and groves of flowering trees, the Koganegawa estate is one story high but spacious and surrounds an inner courtyard. With the money she made from her career, grandmother was able to add things to our home such as my grandfather's workshop and a separate housing unit for any help they could hire. For the most part our help consists of my grandmother's chauffeur and a few gardeners that help with the maintenance of the trees around the buildings. Other than that, the rest of us prefer to do the chores around the house ourselves. Our workers don't know about the curse and we prefer to keep it that way.

I get off my bike and walk over to the gate in the front. Every estate in this area has security whether in the form of guards or a system. We're no exception. The gate is made of thick solid wood towering a good six feet above me. To my right is an intercom and keypad. The speaker comes to life and a male's voice crackles from the machine.

"Name and business please?" The voice is familiar and I roll my eyes playfully and press the button directly under the speaker.

"Jun-nii it's me. Are you going to open the gate or do you want me to type the code in." My brow furrows as I think for a moment. "You didn't change the code did you?"

Jun-nii's cheerful tenor rang out as he chuckled. "No I didn't but you have to tell me your name and business anyway."

"Isane Koganegawa. Little sister to the amazing Jun Koganegawa." I made sure my words were dripping with sarcasm. "I've come back from the pink castle otherwise known as my school to report that my mission was a success."

"Oh so you managed to get everything you need for this year?" He piped up.

"Yes. Now can you please let me in? I'm tired. I still have syllabi I need to read through tonight." I moaned.

"Ok, ok. Keep your shirt on I'm opening the gate now." He said. Soon enough the gates creaked open and revealed the stone pathway to the house. Trees lined either side of the path as I wheeled my bike with me. One of the gardeners, Kaede-san, was busy pruning some branches when she saw me and waved.

"Hello Isane-sama." How was the trip to school?" Kaede-san is a stout woman with short brown hair and near black eyes. She's nice to chat with sometimes and often takes care of pruning the trees herself.

"I can't complain Kaede-san." I've never been able to stop her from adding -sama to my name. She does it with everyone in the house. I keep going until I reach the house and roll my bike into the garage built at the side. It's quite large but it has to be to accommodate the cars inside. There's a black infiniti (my father's), a white ford (mother's), and silver toyota (Jun-nii). In the corner I have a special place on the wall where I hang my bike. It's easy storage and it keeps it from falling to the ground seeing as this one lacks a stand. There's no doorway to the house from here. Grandmother was afraid of damaging the clay walls so she didn't dare attempt to have one installed.

Since the flooring is completely covered in tatami mats we do have a shoe shelf next to the genkan (entrance). "Tadaima!" I call out. Immediately I'm greeted by the sight of my father walking in from the kitchen. Based on the smell wafting I know that it was his turn to cook today.

"Okaerinasai Isane. Did you get everything you need for your classes?" He asked smiling at me and kissed the top of my head. His thoughts are filled with today's dinner, and recipes he could add to the menu at his restaurant.  _Hmmm... what about something with ponzu sauce?_

"That depends, are you thinking fish or polutry?" I spoke outloud.

There was a thoughtful look on his face. "I want to say chicken to make oroshi ponzu but I'm not sure how higher clientele would react to it. Most people of that caliber think of a normal bar. Maybe I should scratch that and think of something else." He walked back to the kitchen and I could hear the sound of pots banging against one another.

I passed several rooms. My grandparents have a hall to themselves due to the curse. It's quieter this way and allows grandmother to fall asleep with ease. She wasn't home from the theater yet and grandfather was usually cooped up in the workshop until dinner was ready so it would probably be a while until I saw him. The western hall belongs to my brothers.

_Of all the... I hate professor Tanaka so much right now._ Jun-nii was now in his room pouring over some textbooks and I could hear his mind trying to process a text he was currently reading. It's not a surprise to hear him growling about this specific professor. He thinks the man has it out for him.

Yuki-nii and Ryuu-nii moved out sometime ago to be closer to their professions. Yuki-nii living in an apartment in Hongo and Ryuu-nii living in a loft above his shop in Akihabara. They do visit on occasion though, sometimes even staying a night or two. Jun-nii was originally living in an apartment by himself while attending community college but struggled with lack of sleep, two jobs, and piles of school work along with paying rent. Initially he hadn't asked for help because he didn't want our parents or grandparents to touch the money set aside for food, business and expenses. They may make a lot but business is an expensive expenditure and we've been taught that money shouldn't be wasted frivolously. They disagreed with his thinking though and we ended up pleading for him to come home so that he'd at least be able to rest and have to worry about one job. Jun-nii is working in a bakery downtown where he is getting the experience to one day run his own.

Another hall contains the sitting room, a few closets, my parent's room and my mother's study. The shoji door was slid shut. A sign that she was working on something and didn't want any interruptions.  _If I design the scaffolding like so... no that doesn't work..._  From the sound of it she's having a block right now.

Now we've reached my room. Or my designated hallway at least. Before I was born, my mother was initially planning on me having a room next to my brothers but when it was revealed my eyes were copper, as indicative of the curse, she decided along with my grandmother that it would be best for me to have a room away from them. The less thoughts, the better, was their belief. My room is decently big, as are all of our rooms. Because the floors are all tatami we sleep on futons. Easy to store and if you leave them in the sun for a while they become incredibly warm later on. Another shoji door on the opposite site leads to the courtyard where you'll find a large koi pond and fountain along with a surplus of flowers. The summers are great for sitting outside here, especially when you bring the hammock out.

I took a seat at my desk and began pulling out syllabi and my textbooks for this year. As I set everything up I couldn't help but think back to my encounter with the new honors student. "I still can't believe she thought I was nice." I mumbled. I didn't dare try to associate with anyone at Ouran. Even though I was in C-class, quite a few of my classmates looked down on me for my pedigree. My mother did not come from wealth and we were not of older money. There was no business to inherit or path set for me to follow. There was scorn but there was also jealousy sometimes.

_I don't want to think about marrying right now though. Just let me get through school in peace father._

_I'm sick of playing nice with all of these annoying flies... Don't they understand I'm only friends with them because it will help with business?_

_Why can't I do both?_

_Is it wrong I'm jealous of Koganegawa-san? At least she doesn't have to put up with an arranged marriage._

Sometimes even rich people have problems I suppose. A lot of them spend more time socializing than studying at school but I suppose that's why tutors are a must. They have to be smart, beautiful, and impeccable.

They have to be perfection.

Then you have the honors student. She's here through her smarts alone. Haruhi doesn't care about appearances. She was friendly without having to force it. There are no thoughts of networking or getting close with anyone. Her ambitions are her own and include no one else.

_**I guess it'd be nice to have more friends.**_ I think to myself. After middle school Takuya, Kiraz and I all went to different schools. Kiraz was accepted into the Yamaguchi Academy of the Arts in the inner city while Takuya was attending the Sawamura School of Math and Sciences near Hongo. They were both facilities with a demanding curriculum but the two of them love it and have often told me so when I ask them. Going to different schools makes it difficult to get together at times. It often means many projects. I'm happy for them, I really am, but it gets lonely. That and they're the only other people besides my relatives that don't mind my word vomit.

*Knock, Knock*

_Isane? May I come in?_  My grandmother's thoughts suddenly rang in my mind and nearly startled me out of my seat. I didn't hear her car come into the driveway at all!

_**You can enter Baa-san.**_ Let me say this. My grandmother, Setsuna Koganegawa, is still very beautiful even at age 67. Grandfather has shown me pictures of their youth before so I know what they looked like back then. In her youth, Grandmother was petite and slender with black hair, porcelain skin and I could imagine seeing her own gentle copper eyes in the black and white photographs. Even though she'd lost her youth over the years she hadn't tried to get it back like so many celebrities try to do nowadays. Her hair still retained it's midnight coloring with the few strands of silver reminding me of shooting stars. Her own copper hues danced with wisdom, mischief, and life. Her hair was currently pulled back into a low bun secured by a platinum hair clip in the shape of a cherry blossom encrusted with three tiny rose quartz pieces in the center of the flower. It was the clip that grandfather made for her to wear for their wedding and one of her most prized possessions. Like me, she wore the accessory almost all the time. She glided to the center of the room, her simple green kimono flowing along with her movements.

"You're conflicted my dear." She said standing near me and removed my hair stick from my bun. The rest of my tawny hair fell to the middle of my back and she began to comb through it with her fingers.  _What troubles you Isane?_

_**I'm scared of trying to make other friends Baa-san.**_ One upside of us reading minds was that we could communicate without words. Sometimes it made things easier. Especially if I felt like I couldn't talk to my own mother about things.

Her own eyes widened at this bit of information.  _I thought you avoided people at your school. What brought on the change?_

Instead of words, I let the day pass through my mind. From my helping Haruhi out, to how she said that even though I came from wealth, I was kind. Grandmother remained silent as she watched the events through my eyes. When I finished, there was thoughtful look in her own hues as she stroked the top of my head. "She sounds like she would be another good friend Isane."

I gazed up at my grandmother and I know she could see the uncertainty in my eyes. "But what if I'm hated because of the curse afterward..." I mumbled. I don't want to be hated, but between that and the desire to make friends, I don't know what I want to do more. Broaden my friendships or keep isolating myself from doing so.

Grandmother held me closer. "Don't let the curse and fear rule you Isane. The choice is yours but don't let your fears choose for you." She ushered me out of my seat and into the hallway. "Let's go. Dinner is almost ready and your father prepared grilled mackerel pike."

I gave a hesitant smile that she returned. I guess this required a lot more thinking over. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to put my heart out there just yet.

* * *

Later that night, as I lay in my futon I gave it some more thought. I was scared of my emotions falling into turmoil. Having my heart trampled was even more of a fright. Overall I couldn't for the life of me, sleep on it.

"Ugh... Stupid brain let me sleep already. I don't want to keep thinking about this anymore." I groaned holding my head. My thoughts were being pulled in all sorts of directions. There was fear of being hurt, the dangers of having friends in a place like Ouran Academy, and anger over having the curse.

If I do get the chance to make more friends, I hope that all goes well. For all our sakes.

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so I have no idea how to post pictures on here. I think what I'll end up doing is posting a link to my tumblr page (not like I really do much with it)  
> *- This is referring to the quote by Solon- "Rich people without wisdom or learning are but sheep with golden fleeces"
> 
> Ja-ne!


	3. The Host Club? Really?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'If you can't beat them, ignore them and hope and pray they don't come near you.' Isane comes back to school and see Haruhi although it seems the other girl has been coerced into one of the school's most controversial clubs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Thank you whoever bookmarked this story! Also I'm still figuring out how to post sketches on here but luckily a fellow writer was able to show me the link she uses. Hopefully I'll be able to get it up here by the next chapter!
> 
> Remember:  
> Bold italics- Isane's thoughts  
> Italics-Thoughts of others  
> Italics in parentheses- flashback images

*Isane's POV*

Three weeks have passed since the semester officially began and I've entered Ouran Academy again to hand in another set of finished assignments for my classes. It's been unseasonably warm for early spring so far but today the temperature dropped considerably so I'm wearing a dark brown military style coat over a gray thermal, black skinny jeans and ankle length boots with my hair in it's usual bun. Oddly enough, as I walk through the second year halls, there's a significant lack of people loitering in the hallway. Maybe one or two guys dotting the entrances here and there, but definitely a lack of girls. People could be going to their clubs though. Usually during the first few weeks of school, there are first years roaming the halls in search of activities to join.

_Where the heck is the western gym?!_

_Shogi club, Kendo club, Debate club..._

_We have a Dark Magic Club?_

_Why is it that all the girls are checking out the Host Club?_

I shivered at the last one. Mind you I've never been to that club and hope my curiosity never leads me there. Nothing good can come out of it. First off is the very name of it. Why a host club in the first place?! People usually equate that to prostitution! Second of all: the girls that go to the club...

"Ugh..." Cue another shiver from yours truly. When they start thinking about the club members, their thoughts tend to vary between princess-like scenarios to well... let's just say scenes that should remain censored for the safety of my own sanity and for the innocence of any children nearby.

Anyway back to reality.

I still have one more pack of assignments to hand in before I can go home. My feet lead me to the very end of the second year hall where it connects with the south wing. The offices of the second year teachers are here and I open the last one all the way at the end where a plaque on the door reads 'Kobayashi Tetsuo'.

Inside is a man in his mid-forties with graying black hair slicked back and donning a dark blue suit and black tie. Even from my place at the doorway, you can tell that age is catching up to him based on the crows' feet around the corners of his eyes. Kobayashi-sensei teaches second year creative writing and I am quickly loving his teaching style. He is honest, brutally so, and will break down things in a way you can easily understand. The best part though, is that he won't sugarcoat things just because your a student at this school.

Is it obvious he's becoming my favorite teacher?

"Kobayashi-sensei?" I call out and he looks up from his work, dark eyes setting their sights on me as his mouth quirks into a faint smile of sorts. He turns back towards his paperwork using a red pen to write in corners or cross out printed words across the pages. When he finishes he turns back in my direction and beckons me inside.

"Koganegawa-san it's nice to see you." He says. "If you have your work for the week you can just leave it on my desk. I'll have your grades sent to you Monday afternoon." In my hands is a manila envelope marked with the characters of my name and the class. I do this with all of my coursework to prevent documents from getting mixed.

"Have a good day sensei and thank you for your hard work." I hand the envelope to him and bow before making my way back towards the door.

"Likewise." He says. "Maybe you should think about joining the newspaper club. They could use your writing." _Especially considering Komatsuzawa's the editor in chief..._ He shakes his head softly. _Then again with her condition... No... Trying to get that boy to change tactics is impossible anyway. I tried._

Kobayashi-sensei doesn't hand out compliments very easily so it's flattering that he thinks highly of my writing. I have to agree with his thoughts though. Komatsuzawa-senpai runs the newspaper club and has since he became president during his first year of high school here. Most of the student population used to read it but quickly lost interest and many left the club. Others refused to joined later on. What should have been a school newspaper is in reality, just a trashy tabloid attempting to exploit students and staff alike. It's gotten others in trouble and spread copious lies. They're initially the reason rumors I had a contagious new disease came about. Another example of a club that should be avoided.

I ended up walking through the lower level of the north wing again to exit the the building. Just as I was about to turn, something hit me in the chest and nearly cost me my balance. "Oof!" Luckily I managed to catch myself.

"Ow..." Came the muffled voice of a person.

"What the hell...?" I looked down and found a petite boy pushing himself away from me rubbing the bridge of his nose. He had dark cropped hair and wore the male uniform which consists of black slacks, a white oxford shirt, black tie with a vertical purple stripe in the center, and a lavender blazer. He'd been running based on the way he was huffing for breath.

_Wait haven't I heard that voice before?_ ...that an was unexpected thought. He lifted his head and familiar big brown eyes bore into my own. "Koganegawa-senpai?" Now the dots connected.

"Fujioka-san...?" I raised an eyebrow and I'm pretty sure my face held my disbelief for all the world to show. Well... This is definitely unexpected now. It's a shock she even remembered my name. That's not why I'm surprised though.

This was a completely different version of the girl that I'd met previously. The one from before dressed in ill-fitting clothes, and had glasses that swallowed up most of her face along with a horrifically choppy haircut. Standing here, was a very pretty girl with neatly cut short hair wearing contacts that made her eyes look glossy. She cleaned up well. What puzzles me though was how she'd managed to get her hands on a uniform when they were too expensive.

Even stranger: this is the male uniform. The school policy doesn't necessarily specify which uniform should be worn, but the girls just stick to the female uniform and vice versa for the boys. She does pass for a boy though. Albeit a very feminine looking one now.

"I'm so sorry about that." She apologized, bowing and still attempting to get her second wind. I waved a hand dismissing the apology and urged her to stop bowing. I wasn't mad, just curious.

"It's okay Fujioka just watch where you're going next time. You could've crashed into something and hurt yourself." Oddly enough, the younger girl flinched at my words.

_**Was it something I said?**_ Her thoughts afterward were just as confusing.

_I should've just gone to that room like senpai said but I had to open that damn door._ *sigh* _Beggars can't be choosers though I guess._  

So she decided not to go into the tea ceremony room after all based on that. Images in her mind began flashing in mine and combined with her thoughts. With nothing else to go on I began trying to put the pieces together.

_(Rose petals cascade from an opening doorway)_

**_Rose petals?_** The only place I can think of is the maze garden outside but she was inside based on this memory.

_(A vase sitting on a pedestal without a glass case to protect it)_

**_She either went back to the lower level to try another room or she stayed upstairs looking for the door I told her about. There's only four other rooms in the upstairs north wing. The Astronomy club, the school orchestra and the..._** A sinking feeling hit my stomach. She didn't do what I think she did. Right?

The next thing to enter my mind wasn't an image or thought but a sound. Something falling and shattering. _(Broken pieces of the vase lay on the ground)_ The image of two hands reaching out to grab the vase in vain flashes next and I hear voices but neither belong to the girl in front of me who's scowling and trying to catch her breath from running.

_"Nice going commoner. We were going to bid that Renaissance vase in next week's auction."_ They were male, talking in perfect unison and near identical save for the fact that one voice was slightly higher than the other. **_Shit... She broke something expensive.._**. At least tell me it was a different hall she walked into.

" _That vase cost us approximately 8 million yen Mr. scholarship student."_ This voice belonged to another male. Spoken coolly but I detected the underlying tone of annoyance. I suppressed the shivers that wanted to race down my spine. He sounded like bad news.

**_What kind of moron leaves a vase that expensive without protection?!_** My own conscious screamed. **_That's just asking for an accident to happen!_**

_I-I'll pay you back!_ Came the first year's own shaken voice. **_Sorry but the chances of you paying them back are zilch._**

The twin voices spoke again. First the low one. " _With what money? You can't even afford the uniform._ "

Then the higher one. " _What's with that lame outfit anyway?_ "

" _So what shall we do Tamaki?_ " That was the last piece of the puzzle. Immediately an image of six boys in the high school male uniform flashed in my mind. In the center was a sunshine blonde boy with violet eyes. To his right stood one of similar height with neat black hair and calculative dark eyes. To the blonde's left stood a pair of identical twins. They had auburn hair spiky in the back but neat in the front. One with his bangs pointing left, the other to the right. Their hazel eyes gazed with dangerous mischief. Standing a ways behind the four stood a male who towered over the rest of them. Short, slightly spiky black hair adorned his head and he looked ahead with smoky grey eyes and a stone face. He'd probably be more intimidating had it not been for the tiny boy perched on his shoulders. This one had the appearance of a child with his big chocolate brown eyes and dirty blonde hair. In his free hand was a pink rabbit plush.

The tall blonde pointed his finger in Haruhi's direction as his attitude matched the severity of the situation. _Have you ever heard of this phrase Fujioka? 'When in Rome do as the Romans do.' If you can't pay with money then you must pay with your body. From now on... you're the host club's dog!'_ It could have been my imagination but I swear there was lightning in the background.

I wanted to face palm. I really did. **_She ended up getting mixed up with the Host Club of all things... The damn Host Club..._**

"Sorry senpai but I have to go! I'm already late as it is!" Fujioka glanced at the time on the school's clock tower from the window and ran up the stairs. As for me? I ended up smacking a hand to my forehead after being glued to the spot for a while.

"Eight million yen... Of all the stuff she could break it was a vase that costs eight million... Who was the moron that decided to leave it out anyway?"

* * *

 

*In the Host Club*

"ACHOO!" A certain host king sneezed quite loudly.

"I sincerely hope you're not coming down with a cold Tamaki." Kyouya said writing something down in his notebook.

"No, no such thing my dear Kyouya." Tamaki said waving a hand as he finished adorning himself in the day's cosplay. "It must be that one of our lovely princesses is excited to come to the Host Club today and bask in today's theme. Have we got the animals set up yet?"

"Yes, every animal on the list. By the way... Has Haruhi shown up yet?" The dark haired host asked him as he put his notebook down for a moment to open his laptop. "It's almost time to open up." They both paused hearing footsteps. "It seems our first guest of the day is arriving."

As the rest of the host club set their poses in the center of the room, the door creaked open and it was none other than Haruhi who burst in trying to catch her breath again.

"Welcome." What she was met with surprised the scholarship student as she found the rest of the host club donning tropical outfits. Being the host club's 'king', Tamaki sat in the center of the group on an elegant seat entirely composed of wicker and wore a white tunic with red trim on the short sleeves. His arms were decorated with golden bangles and around his neck, a golden necklace.

_I wouldn't be surprised if that was real gold_. Haruji snorted inwardly.

The rest of the hosts were shirtless with the twins wearing necklaces, identical blue wraps around their waists shaded in a checkered pattern of blue, light blue, and white as well as blue cloth wrapped around their foreheads. Kyoya wore a black wrap tied off with a yellow cloth belt. He wore no other jewelry besides his necklace. Honey wore a yellow wrap decorated with a colorful array of tropical leaves and flowers tied off with a purple sash and finished the look with a lei and no jewelry. Lastly, Mori wore a cloth around his forehead colored burgundy and deep purple wrap around his legs. Instead of jewelry or flowers, an embroidered sash of yellow with a dark triangular pattern sat on his right shoulder. The room itself was transformed from its usual state to a tropical paradise. There were even live animals. She eyed a large constrictor coiled on the tree next to her nervously.

"Oh it's just you Haruhi. You're late." Hikaru spoke with a look of disinterest seeing the disguised girl gape in shock.

"We thought you were a customer so we got into our poses." Kaoru added with the same look as his brother.

Haruhi twitched in dismay as she stared at the scene. _Mother in heaven are you watching this? This is the club that I was forced to join..._ She sighed further when a toucan decided her head would make a better perch than the trees that dotted the club room. The girl pulled a pocket calendar from her bag and flipped the pages to the current date. "I may be wrong but my calendar says that it's still early spring."

"It's only a commoner's feeling to be afraid of the cold and put yourself in a kotatsu!" Tamaki announced from his 'throne'. "Besides the excellent heating system we have here is... the best!" The blonde got up from his seat posing with a fan. Haruhi on the other hand was not moved and let out a slight scoff.

"Do you have a problem with the way we run our club Haruhi?" Kyoya asked and looked up from his notebook, calculating gaze and chilling smile in place. "Please do keep in mind that you still owe us eight million yen."

The girl froze remembering the outrageous amount of yen. She was suddenly met with Tamaki's fan unfolding in her face. "Gentlemen don't bundle up in fall clothing. It may be chilly spring out there in the real world, but we want to surprise our chilly little princesses with a warm tropical paradise." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Yes... This is the ultimate Eden! A sparkling handsome oasis!"

"Funny... I feel a massive chill..." Haruhi deadpanned.

No one else noticed that one of the animals decided to leave through the still open door and into the school's many halls.

* * *

 

*Isane's POV*

Once again, I'm contemplating my choice of attending Ouran. It's times like this I wish I had just applied to Kiraz's school or Takuya's. At least they don't have people spending ridiculous amounts of money on things they'll probably get rid of a few days later. Fujioka would probably be a good friend to make to be honest but if she truly is stuck with the host club, then I want no part. Even though it means losing a potential friendship with someone unaffiliated with the rich.

"I'm not getting involved..." The exit was within my sights at last. "Home here I come." At least that's what I was intending to do before I saw something that made me freeze in place. Keep in mind I'm near one of the stairwells to go downstairs. Maybe I'm seeing things? Nope, it's still there. Rubbing my eyes did not work.

There's a toucan perched on the banister. A damn toucan.

"...Why?" Would you be able to say anything else in this situation?

We ended up having a staring contest before it decided my shoulder would make a better perch. It let out a low squawk and shuffled a little before settling. "What the absolute fuck... Ok let's get one thing straight: You even try to poop on me and you will regret it." I looked it in it's beady eyes trying to get the message across even though it would be fruitless. It couldn't understand me and I wouldn't understand it.

Another thing to know about the curse: Those of us with it can't hear animals' thoughts. I ended up figuring that out years ago. Animal minds communicate on a different wavelength than that of humans. They don't necessarily think the way that we do. This mostly consists of dogs, cats, birds and fish. Primates are a slightly different story for another day. In any case, it's a lot less noise in my head.

"Now the question is what a toucan's doing here in the first place." The toucan only shifted it's position on my shoulder and looked around the massive hall. I rolled my eyes in response.

"Well you're no help. I might as well call up animal control then." The bird flew off my shoulder and perched on the banister again where it began preening itself. Footsteps echoed down the hall and I could hear two voices, both male, conversing loudly. That's when I made myself scarce. People might get the wrong idea if they see you together with a toucan in a school. That's just asking for trouble. I ended up hiding in a storage closet nearby and listened closely.

"So then I- is that a toucan?" One voice questioned incredulous. _What in the hell? Why...?_

My sentiments exactly, although why is that voice familiar?

"I'll just... call animal control I guess." The other asked and I could hear rummaging. Probably looking for his phone. _Come on, where did I throw it?_

"Wait a minute..." The first voice spoke again and this time there was a cautiousness to his tone. Let's just get out of here." Now he just piqued my curiosity.

"Why? There's an animal loose in the school and you want to leave it Kobayashi? What if it escapes?" _We have to do something..._ Ah so that's why the first voice was recognizable. Kobayashi-sensei must have just finished with paperwork. He and another teacher were leaving.

"Sakamoto I'm only saying this because I overheard some of my female students talking about that club." He explained. _Of all the clubs here, no one else would think to do something like this but that one._

The other sensei made a noise of puzzlement but then it clicked. "Ahhh... the host club. What does the toucan have to do with it though?" _I overheard the Hitachiin twins discussing something about a theme before class began this morning, but that was it._

Kobayashi-sensei let out a sigh before he delved into an explanation. "I have Ōtori and Suoh in homeroom. The other day Suoh left a picture book of Bali on his desk courtesy of Ōtori. I didn't think much of it until this morning when some female students in my eighth period class were giggling about something. I didn't pay attention to it until I heard something about that club and the tropics. _Do the students of this school really have nothing to do but waste money with such frivolous activities? They have no understanding of the real world and how much hard work we 'commoners' do to earn our keep._

"So you're telling me they brought live animals in?" You could hear the disbelief in the other teacher's tone. "Kobayashi you can't seriously think that they'd be allowed to bring animals in the school. The chairman wouldn't stand for anything of the sort." _Although now that I think about it, they did do some rather impressive events last year._

Kobayashi-sensei snorted. "Suoh is the chairman's son. If he got away with starting a host club then he can get away with something like this. Hopefully they're looking for it right now or they've already contacted security about it." _I've still got paperwork to grade and my son to pick up from grade school anyway. I don't have the time to be chasing birds_.

_**Sensei really has something against them doesn't he...**_ I mused slinking out from my hiding spot. The toucan flew back to my shoulder as I stood back up. There weren't any other footsteps nor could I hear other thoughts entering the hall. As much as I want to go home right now I'm afraid I'm going to have to venture up there. If they haven't noticed the bird missing then there's a good chance they won't until their club ends and that would be trouble if someone else sees it.

"Note to self: when you get home, go to your room, rethink your life choices from last year, and hope that whoever is up there hears you and turns the clock back to middle school because this is ridiculous." I grumbled as I made the long trek back to the stairs and into the north wing hall.

**_Astronomy club, music room 1, music room 2..._** The sound of squealing girls and their equally loud thoughts erupted from behind the door causing me to wince.

_Brotherly love!_

_Tamaki looks so handsome in his outfit!_

_Oh I wish I could see him like this more often~_

_Honey is so adorable!_

"Ugh... Music room 3..." There's goes another shiver. Remember those less than savory images I was talking about? Well one just popped up from that second to last girl's mind. **_Stupid mind reading... freaking host club... damn girls and their hormones..._** "Let's just get this over with."

I knocked on the door with a hard thump. The other side was still full of chatter and I couldn't hear anyone coming to the door. I knocked again, louder this time. The chatter was still there although I could hear a few comment about my knocking.

_Perhaps another lovely guest?_ Based on Fujioka's flashback I could tell that these were Suoh's thoughts. Soon the door cracked open and flower petals flew from the crevice. _**So that's where the petals came from**_. Unfortunately a few decided to fly into my mouth.

"Peh!" Several petals later and my mouth was clear of flora. Rose tea certainly tastes good but rose petals themselves are a different story. **_Ugh they taste like they were perfumed..._** "Gross..."

"Can I help- Koganegawa-senpai?" That wasn't Suoh. Looking down it was none other than Fujioka who was looking up with wide eyes. As if her eyes can get any bigger that is.

_Please don't tell me she's a guest here..._ Her thoughts crowed with displeasure. As much as I wanted to frown I couldn't blame her. A lot the girls here go to this club and since she's on scholarship trying to finish her secondary school education, it's a shame to her that all these people seem to do nothing but socialize. "Are you-" She began but I cut her off right there.

**Please don't finish that sentence Fujioka. Being associated with rabid fangirls is bad for my mental health.**

I pointed a finger at the toucan on my shoulder and frowned. "I believe this belongs to your club?" Fujioka proceeded to execute a double take as she took note of the toucan on my shoulder.

"...I-I thought all the animals were inside the clubroom..." She muttered weakly. _Did anything else get loose outside?_

"I found him on the banister in one of the staircases." My face probably looked annoyed right now though I couldn't quite help that. I mean come on! Who brings animals like this into a school?!

Fujioka slouched and a defeated look took over her face. She was just as done with this nonsense as I am. "Thanks..." _How much would Kyoya-senpai have added to my debt if it actually left the school?_ A shiver wracked through her at the very thought of the third son. _On second thought let's not think about that..._

_**These people have way too much time on their hands if they're doing this kind of stuff...**_ I'm technically rich myself but this is going overboard. How much do they charge these girls anyway?

Just as I was about to say something else the door opened wide and Fujioka was moved to the side only to be replaced by Tamaki Suoh himself decked out in some kind of tropical outfit. He shoved a rose at what he assumed was my face while his eyes were closed.

"My princess it is my greatest pleasure to welcome you to the paradise of your dreams." He crooned as he lowered himself in a slight bow.

_**The only way this would be the paradise of my dreams is if there were pocky or manga and seeing as you probably have neither I'm calling you out on false advertising.**_ The desire to snark is strong within me.

"Tamaki-senpai?" Fujioka was evidently puzzled at his actions. As was I, especially after hearing this guy's current thought. _Such a quiet little mouse. Perhaps the princess is shy?_

**_More like wondering if you were aiming for my face or not. Who are you calling a mouse?_ **

"SQUAWK!"

The blonde's eyes shot open and violet hues darted upward only to be face to face with the toucan who shifted itself and began inspecting the rose currently presented more or less to my chest rather than my face. Hey, not all girls are tiny. Plus my shoes give me a two inch height boost so I'm basically 5'9 right now.

First the blonde paled, then he began turning white. "P-PRINCESS!" He screamed jumping back. _I can't believe I presented it to... That wasn't the princess' face..._ What the hell? This guy's thoughts are in complete shambles. I think there was lightning in the background too although that could have just been my imagination.

Fujioka and I both stared as he grew still as stone. Everyone else inside looked at the scene in surprise. Some of the girls whispered their confusion and a few who I recognized from my class looked upon me with disbelief.

_Oh my god... Koganegawa-san!?_

_The sick girl?_

_Is Tamaki-san ok?_

The two of us continued to stare at the frozen blonde. I turned to Fujioka uncertainly. "...Is he going to be okay?"

**_I didn't accidentally kill him right?_** I hope I didn't. That's a lawsuit I don't even want to think about.

She looked at me in what could only be described as mild exasperation. _Mother in heaven please give me the patience you had to help me deal with Tamaki-senpai._ "He over-reacts like this so much it's bothersome, but he'll be fine."

"Can I just get this toucan off of me now? Then we can pretend that... this ... didn't happen." I gestured to Suoh. His mind shut down completely and his last thoughts are playing over and over like a broken record.

_The princess... bird... That wasn't..._

"Actually senpai, do you think you could step in and release it? I'm afraid of it flying away again if we're in the doorway." Fujioka stepped aside so that I could enter.

I was hoping not to set foot in there. I pinched the bridge of my noise in annoyance. As much as I don't want to come here, I'll have to bite the bullet and just get it over with. "Fine..." I sighed and sidestepped Suoh.

"Talk about going all out..." I mumbled as I took in the scenery. The walls were covered in vines and branches while trees rose from every corner of the room. I was beginning to sweat from the temperature difference. Just how high did they turn up the heat in here?

"Alright shoo." I waved the toucan off of my shoulder. "Go bug someone else." The bird squawked once more before it flew off to a section of vines along the farthest wall.

"Now that that's settled I'm getting out of here." I said to myself about to walk out of the room when a pair of twins stepped in front of me. "Can I help you?" My voice was somewhat cold. If you can't tell, I'm not in the mood to deal with this club anymore than I have to.

They were the ones from Fujioka's earlier thoughts. Auburn hair and hazel eyes, mischief dancing in both sets. That meant trouble.

_Who do we have here? A new toy?_ This came from the twin with his bangs parted to the right. "You seem to be a new guest to the club."

"May we know your name princess?" The one with his bangs to the left piped up. _How about we try one of our acts out and see how she reacts?_

"Please?" They spoke in unison and leaned their faces uncomfortably close to mine.

**_No but you can get out of my way and let me go home. And who are you calling a toy?_ **

"I decline." The door was just within my reach when another voice spoke behind me.

"Koganegawa-san of class 2-C correct?" The third Ōtori son was standing a few feet behind me with a black notebook in his grasp. He's actually quite handsome now that I take a look at him. That look in his eyes screams money-making though. There was a pleasant smile tacked onto his face that seemed so out of place (Hey that rhymed) I couldn't help but wince.

"Please, why don't you take a seat and enjoy a cup of freshly brewed tea? Perhaps I could assist you in designating a host to converse with? The first session in our club is always free to first time guests." His way of speaking was polite but somewhat clipped as most of these students are trained to speak to others. The sentence reminded me of a well-rehearsed sales pitch. Makes me wonder how many girls have accepted without realizing he's repeated it to countless others.

_Isane Koganegawa of class 2-C. Daughter of Chiharu Koganegawa, one of the leading architects of the Sansu Construction Company, and Ichijou Koganegawa, the owner of the restaurant Kakusareta Shinju. Her grandmother is also a famous ex-actress in Japanese theater. There isn't much to go on regarding other members, but none of them are zaibatsu of a related field to the Ōtori Corporation so there isn't merit if I associate myself with the daughter. Her pedigree leaves much to be desired as well. However, her presence as a guest could theoretically contribute to the Host Club's budget. Her medical records show that she has also been diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder. Perhaps Haruhi would be the best recommendation._

_**How in the ever flying fuck- What are you some kind of stalker?! Go take your creepy hobby somewhere else! Have you ever had that desire to punch someone in the face?**_ I'm contemplating breaking his and calling it a day regardless of the consequences.

"Ōtori-san correct?" I began slowly and quietly as I forced a smile on my face. I want to scream so damn badly. "As... interesting as that sounds, I'm afraid I should be going." _**As far away from here as possible.**_

The smile on his face faded somewhat as I said this. The twins behind me each placed an elbow on my shoulders. The twin with his bangs parted left spoke first. "Wow... No one's ever turned down an invitation from Kyoya-senpai before."

The twin with right bangs nodded in agreement. "I have to admit we're quite impressed. You don't to stay and sit with us senpai?" His hand turned my face towards him and he smirked. "I'm sure we could find ways to... entertain you..."

"KYAAA!" Their fangirls' ear-piercing shrieks filled the room.

"She's so lucky! I'm jealous!" One of them cried out from a far corner of the room. I'm questioning the sanity of these girls at this point.

*Third person POV*

Haruhi sighed as she watched the spectacle continue in front of her. The host had politely refused wearing the cosplay set for her that day. It was obviously meant for a girl and since she was parading as a boy it would have been a bad idea. She felt bad for Isane. The older girl seemed even less comfortable now that Kyoya decided to make his presence known. The twins bugging her again wasn't helping matters either.

"Ano... Haruhi-kun? You know Koganegawa-san?" A customer spoke and the disguised girl turned to meet the dark eyes of a girl with black hair tied into an intricate bun. Daichi-senpai if I'm not mistaken.

"Well I wouldn't say I know her personally, but she did help me out on my second day here. She seems nice." As Haruhi spoke the second year seemed relieved. "Hey Daichi-senpai? Is Koganegawa-senpai in your class?"

The second year smiled slightly as did some other second years who were part of class 2-C. "She is actually and you are right about her being kind." Then the girl frowned. "Most of the students in our class call her a 'menace' though."

The first year blinked. She hadn't been expecting that. "Menace?"

Another second year from the same class spoke up somewhat hesitant. "It's not like Koganegawa is bad or anything it's just... well..."

"She's rather uncouth." Daichi explained. "She comes from different breeding than most of us and when we shared class together she was always by herself. Even during lunch she wouldn't socialize with anyone. Sure Koganegawa was pleasant for the most part but she always kept everyone at a distance. Then after her incident she stopped coming to school."

"Incident?" Haruhi turned to find Honey and Mori walking towards them. Or Mori coming with Honey on his shoulders. The tiny third year turned his gaze towards the second year in question who ducked under the twins scowling when one tried to touch her face. Unlike their customers who usually swooned at the sight of a handsome boy, this girl was just uncomfortable. Maybe he would offer her some cake.

Some of the customers blushed when the third years came over in their attire. "You two look great in your cosplay!" One of the girls commented earning frantic nods from the both of them.

"Thanks ladies!" Honey beamed earning squeals. Haruhi turned back to find Isane backing away as if the very sound hurt her. Well, she couldn't blame the second year if the volume harmed her ears. Even she had to admit it could be bothersome at times.

"Did Koganegawa-senpai get hurt?" Haruhi piped up bringing the question back to their present company. Luckily for her, Daichi was ready to explain.

"It happened during English Literature last year. She got up to read and she suddenly fell to the floor in a dead faint. An ambulance ended up having to take her to a nearby hospital. No one heard from her for a week after that. There was a rumor she'd contracted an illness but those disappeared after a few days." The second year explained.

One of the others piped up. "She's not close to anyone in our class either so no one really knows what happened."

Haruhi frowned. Is that really something you should share with strangers though? "Senpai said that she only comes to school once at the end of the week, but does she really not associate with anyone in the school?"

"If she does then it's not someone in our class. Then again it might not be someone at the school to begin with. I've seen other students give her looks for wearing casual clothes here." Daichi went to say something else but was cut off by Isane speaking loudly.

"That's enough!" She said getting away from the rest of the hosts. It seemed Tamaki finally returned from his stone state and went to woo her but to no avail. In fact, it seemed to upset her more.

"Uh oh..." Honey spoke up jumping from his human perch. "I think Tama-chan made Koga-chan mad." Let's take a look at what happened shall we?

*Earlier*

Isane stepped back from the twins in her huff. Copper eyes bore daggers at the two as she clenched her teeth. They were too close for comfort. "Back off. My personal space is right here." She nearly snarled making an imaginary line with her boot. "Do not cross this line."

The twins seemed to have switched emotions and thoughts pretty fast because they both adopted a bored look as soon as I said this. "You're no fun senpai." They spoke in unison. _She didn't react the way I thought she would./ Now we can't use our brotherly love act on her._

Shivers raced up her spine at their inner dialogue for the act in question. Yaoi was fine with her and though she had nothing against it, Isane drew the line at incest. For goodness sake she had three older brothers! **_How do these girls not find them creepy!?_** She wanted to scream but held back. "If it keeps creeps like you away, then I'll be as boring as possible." The girl muttered under her breath and turned towards the door again unaware she spoke loud enough for the twins to take interest.

"I've got to get out of here." Isane mumbled as she grew closer to her destination. She was stopped again although this time it wasn't by the twins or Kyoya. It appeared the host club king finally shook off his stupor as he posed in front of her and several girls sitting nearby.

"My dear princess." Tamaki gently lifted her face so that it was facing his as he bent down. She flinched as she felt his breath fan over her face. "What heartlessness..."

The girl in question blinked in response. _**Did I say something to offend him?**_

"Even with my lustrous skin shining like brilliant ivory, exposed by my Balinese king outfit, I'm no more than a slave before my goddess. I kneel before you and swear my loyalty." He spoke.

"Oh Tamaki..." A girl behind her cooed.

"So lucky... I wish I were in her shoes right now."

Isane finally had it.

"That's enough!" She cried breaking from Tamaki's hold and backed away from him. A scandalized look formed in her eyes as several girls gaped in shock. Were they actually enraptured by these people?

Isane's POV

**_For crying out loud he just went full blown Narcissus!_** Oh god I can still feel his fingers on my face! Isn't there a no touching policy or something?!

Suoh looked lost as I backed away closer to the door. "But my dear-"

"STOP!" I can't hold it in anymore. I need to get out of here. My breath came out heavy and he froze as did the rest of the people in this damn forsaken room. "Just... stop ok? All I did was come in here to return a freaking bird that you people should have kept an eye on yourselves. I only came in trying to be a good Samaritan. I don't want to be wooed by any of you!" Everyone was silent. Even Ōtori and the tall host in the back of the room, both who had appeared to be unflappable, gaped at me with unbidden surprise.

_Did she just..._

_How rude! Even though Tamaki was so prince-like!_

_Oh my... Tamaki-san shouldn't have done that. Koganegawa-san looks like she's about to combust._

_Senpai?_

_Wow she just exploded..._

_Well... that was certainly unexpected._

_Boss actually scared off a girl..._

"Koga-chan?" I flinched hearing a voice with a child-like quality near me. I turned to find the tiny blonde from Haruhi's thoughts looking up at me with this big pair of chocolate eyes. He may have looked like a child with his pink rabbit plush and innocent stare but one could clearly see the tone and hard muscle underneath the uniform despite his petite size. There was also this gleam in his eyes that told me there was more than that.

Oh hell... I sound like a pedophile...

He tugged at my sleeve. The boy was so small he only came up to my waist. "You don't want to stay? We have cake." _Please don't be scared._ We'd just like to host you. Unlike the others, his thoughts were similar to Haruhi's. Honest and insightful. That's not enough to make me want to stay though.

I inhaled sharply and just looked down at him pleadingly. "Does it look like I want to stay?" I feel a headache coming on. **_Just let me go home_...**

He slowly let go of my sleeve and I could see a tinge of sadness of overtaking his brown hues. He clutched the plush toy closer to his body, the flowers of his lei being crushed against the fabric. "No..." He mumbled. "It doesn't." _We really did scare her._

"Sorry." I mumbled and opened the door slipping out. As soon as the door shut I just ran down the hall nearly stumbling down the stairs and collapsed on the last step sitting down. "What a nightmare..." I shuffled through my backpack and yanked my phone out as soon as I found it. I dialed a random number. I didn't care who I called. I just needed to talk to someone and fast.

"Moshi Moshi?" A boy's voice came through the other line. Takuya.

"Tak? I... Oh god..." I breathed.

"Isa? Hey are you ok? Take some deep breaths you sound like you just ran a marathon! What wrong!?" He spoke rapidly, picking up on my distress.

"Right now? Everything... I'm so done with these people..." My head collided with the cool wood, the phone still against my ear as I huffed.

"Wait are you at school? What happened?" Immediately the dam burst and I just blabbered on about the events from before. The toucan, Fujioka, my attempt at a good deed, the damn host club, their thoughts, and finally how I ended up snapping.

"Shit Isa..." I just focused on the sound of his quiet tenor. "Did they do anything else?"

"No... No they didn't but-" I kept stumbling over my words unable to form a coherent sentence. "I don't understand it! These girls actually like when those host act like this?! I can still feel his fingers on my face Takuya! I can still feel them!" My cries were becoming hysterical at this point but I could care less. I was scared.

"Isane breath! Please... Take some deep breaths okay? In... Out... In... Out..." He repeated breathing along with me. "You're okay now. You're safe. You hear me? You're going to be okay. Just take it easy. Do you need someone to pick you up? Your grandmother might be best. Do you want me to call her? I can get Kiraz on the line too if you want." Did I mention how lucky I am to have him and Kiraz for friends? If I have, well then I'm just going to keep saying it.

"No... you don't have to do that. I'm better now... I can get home on my own." My breathing finally evened out. I was calm, I was in control. There were no other thoughts around. Just me.

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying on the phone with you longer. Homework can wait another hour or two. I'm sure Kiraz wouldn't mind either." This time I couldn't help the smile that stretched across my face. I really do love these two.

"Yeah... I'll be fine Tak. Thanks for talking with me."

"Anytime Isa. Text me when you get home though, all right? I want to make sure you get there safe." He spoke before hanging up.

*Back with the Host Club*

Chatter broke out through the Host Club as their guests began to converse about the scene that they just witnessed.

"I've never seen anyone lash out at Tamaki like that." One guest of Haruhi's admonished. Said host frowned as she recalled Isane's face when the blonde kept trying to woo her. The king in question was currently huddled in a corner of the room, or his designated 'corner of woe' as the twins had taken to calling it, after Haruhi scolded him severely over his actions. She didn't regret it though. He should have known that not every girl would take kindly to his approach. Especially after Isane told the twins to get out of her personal space.

"I wouldn't really call it lashing out to be honest." Haruhi explained as she poured more tea for her guests. As much as she wanted to check up on Isane, she unfortunately still had hosting duties to attend. "I'd call her reaction justified. Tamaki-senpai spooked her pretty badly."

"It's so nice that you're worried for Koganegawa-san, Haruhi-kun." Daichi smiled. "The rest of us always found it rather difficult to approach her. It's like she doesn't want us near her even though she acts respectful for the most part."

Haruhi was about to say something else when she felt a tug on her blazer sleeve and the call of "Haru-chan!" She turned to find Honey and Mori near her. In his free hand, Honey held a slice of chocolate cake on a piece of china with Usa-chan balanced in the crook of his elbow. Behind him, Mori towered holding a pink and white canister with rabbit prints.

"Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai? What's with the cake and the thermos?" Hikaru and Kaoru floated next to them pointing out the objects. Mori merely handed Haruhi the canister and the girl was surprised when she found it warm to the touch. Honey set the plate of cake next to her as well.

"These are for Koga-chan!" Honey beamed. "Takashi and I don't think she'd want to talk to the rest of us so we want you to give these to her. Cake should help her feel better and Takashi poured some of the ginger tea to go with it!"

Haruhi blinked. "Thats... actually very nice of you both. I think Koganegawa-senpai left by now though."

"No." Everyone gaped when Mori actually spoke. He did speak from time to time in monosyllabic sentences but still, he was so quiet, it was shocking when he did open his mouth.

"Takashi's right." The small senior added. "We would've seen a limousine pull up to the school by now. Koga-chan's probably waiting for a ride home. Can you take these to her Haru-chan?" Honey begged. "We'll take care of your customers while your gone!"

"Is that really ok?" She thought out loud. Her answer was given to her by Kyoya who added his two cents.

"I have no problem with it. After all, it would be bad for business if rumor went around that the host club king legitimately caused a girl significant distress." He scribbled in his notebook. From his corner of the room, Tamaki flinched.

"Yeah I still can't get over that." Hikaru taunted. Kaoru followed suit and they began poking the blonde's prone form. "The Princely type of the Host club sent a princess running for the hills."

As they kept taunting him, Haruhi took this as her chance to leave.

After a few more breaths, Isane stood up from the stairs and stretched. She thought back to how she reacted to the Host club and winced. Looking back on it, maybe my reaction was a little overkill... Who am I kidding. I'll be lucky if no one decides to hold it against my family. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed heavily. "Nothing I can do about it now." She was caught off guard by the sound of footsteps descending from the stairwell and the thoughts that followed.

_Don't drop the plate, don't drop the plate... There she is!_

Isane turned to face the stairs with wide eyes as Haruhi stopped in front off her. "Kognegawa-senpai!" She said holding the cake and thermos towards the older girl. For a moment, copper eyes simply blinked in confusion.

"What's all this?" She said taking the plate from her hands. Haruhi pulled a small fork from her pocket and handed it to her as well. "This is for me?" Isane gestured to the chocolate slice on the china. **_Why is she even here? Shouldn't she be at the club?_**

"The tea too." Haruhi lifted the thermos. Hesitant, Isane cut into the cake and took a bite moaning as the taste enveloped her tongue. She may not have liked the club but they knew how to pick good cake! "Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai thought you might like some after what happened. " Haruhi explained. _Although this won't necessarily make up for it._

Isane raised an eyebrow at the names, unsure of who she'd been referring too. She already knew the other members' faces so Haruhi could only be talking about the tall and short hosts. She wasn't sure who was who though.

As if sensing the unasked question, Haruhi answered. "Mori-senpai is the really tall third year and Honey-senpai is the third year holding the rabbit plush." Then her gaze turned somber. "Senpai? I'm sorry about what earlier. Especially with Tamaki-senpai and the twins." She apologized.

Isane swallowed her bite of cake and sat back down on the stairs looking down at the plate. Haruhi sat down next to her. "I think I should be the one saying sorry. I probably overreacted but..." She inhaled shakily. "I was scared... I really was scared shitless." Her voice was quiet as she reflected on it. "First those two just kept coming into my personal space, then Ōtori with that fake smile and sales pitch... I guess Suoh was my breaking point." She turned to Haruhi raising a brow. "Why are you pretending to be a guy anyway?" Isane already knew because of what she saw in Haruhi's memory but she wanted to hear it from the younger girl.

Haruhi sighed. "I was actually going to head to the room you were talking about, but on the way I was passing the music rooms and I didn't hear anything coming from the third so I checked it out... What a mistake that turned out to be." She muttered and Isane huffed in laughter as she bit off another piece of cake.

"So they tried to woo you even though they thought you were a guy?" Isane said seeing some of Haruhi's memories of the unfortunate incident. Tamaki blatantly kept entering her personal space without acknowledging the fact she was clearly uncomfortable with his advances. **_No wonder she ended up in the club. That idiot ended up knocking her into it and instead of accepting being the catalyst, he let them push the blame._**

Haruhi chuckled ruefully. "Yeah. Tamaki-senpai ended up causing me to break a vase they were going to auction for eight million, so now I have to pay it off. They found out I'm a girl not too long ago. We had a customer that thought I was trying to take Tamaki's attention from and she pulled some tricks so they ended up booting her from coming back but I ended up with a wet uniform as a result. Kyoya-senpai gave me a girl's uniform to change into and Tamaki-senpai happened to find my I.D. on the floor." At least Mori-senpai stopped him from yanking the changing curtain open too. Although I don't see what the big the deal is. I don't care if anyone sees me as a girl or boy. It should be what's on the inside that matters after all.

Isane smiled to herself polishing off the cake and sipped at the ginger tea. It cooled down some but it was still warm going down her throat. "Thanks for checking up on me. You didn't have to you know."

Haruhi returned the smile with one of her own. "I wanted to. Besides, you helped me when you didn't have to." She pointed out.

Isane chuckled. "I guess that makes us even then." **_I wonder..._** Isane braced herself. "Hey Fujioka? Would you mind... if we became, you know... friends?" _**Please tell me that wasn't as awkward as it sounded to me.**_

Brown eyes blinked unsure if she heard right. Then Haruhi smiled widely. "Of course! It'd be nice talking to someone here who isn't all about looks and money."

*Somewhere one of seven light bulbs lit*

The older girl nodded. "Yeah... Olympus called... Aphrodite wants Narcissus back." She muttered under her breath. Haruhi snorted at the comment and Isane cracked another tiny smile. "Hey um... do you have a phone? Want to exchange numbers?" She asked clutching her own phone tightly.

Haruhi looked down and Isane could see embarrassment written all over her face. _How do I tell her I don't have a cell phone?_

Isane quickly spoke trying to remedy the situation. "If you have a landline that's fine too. I'd just like to talk sometime..." She finished lamely. **_Great... now I seem like I'm desperate. Good going Isane... good going..._**

"Oh... That's fine then." Haruhi said telling her the number. Isane took out a piece of paper and pen from her backpack scribbling down her number along with her own landline. "Hey Koganegawa-senpai? I'm going to have to cut this short. I still have things I need to do back at the club. We can talk later though?" They both stood up. _I don't want to be rude but at the same time I don't want Kyoya-senpai adding more to my debt._

**_I should probably go too. I'm usually home by now._** "That's fine by me." She said and walked towards the exit. "See you later." Isane left feeling lighter than usual. She finally did it. She'd managed to make another friend. Her tiny circle opened a little once more. The very thought of it widened her smile just a bit as she buzzed with relief. Maybe she should try to keep the incident away from her grandmother though. _**Who am I kidding, Obaa-san would be questioning me the minute it went through my mind.**_

As Isane walked towards the security gates to get her bike she stopped due to a thought. "Wait... That kid is a third year?!"

* * *

 

"Haruhi-kun welcome back!" One of her guests greeted as the host entered the music room again.

"Was Koga-chan feeling better after the cake and the tea Haru-chan?" Honey came up to her, pink flowers floating around him. The surrounding girls cooed at his adorable behavior and Haruhi nodded setting down the plate and thermos.

"She was much better Honey-senpai." _Although talking with her did more help in hindsight._

As soon as Haruhi sat down another girl walked up to her table. Like the others she wore the yellow uniform. Honey brown hair framed her face in short fluffy locks. "Excuse me? I believe it's almost time for my turn."

Haruhi blinked pulling out a timetable with the names of her guest for that day, indeed finding that she had a guest at this time. "I'm sorry. You must be the one who made a reservation..." She looked over the time slot and name. "Your name is-" She was cut off by the girl tugging her chin to face her.

"My name is Kanako Kasugasaki from Year 2 class B." The girl introduced herself as she studied Haruhi. "You are cuter than I originally heard. I've decided. From now on you're going to be my new favorite host Haruhi." As the second year uttered this Tamaki lost all color once more.

It seemed that there was no rest for the weary when it came to the Host club.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you in the next chapter! Ja'ne!
> 
> Here's some information regarding Isane!
> 
> Isane Koganegawa
> 
> Age:16
> 
> Height: 5'7
> 
> Blood type: A-
> 
> Birthday: March 14th
> 
> Favorite food: Chawanmushi with lots of shrimp
> 
> Biggest pet peeve: When her brothers break into her snack stash


	4. The trouble with Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Isane somewhat gets roped into one of the host club's schemes, the host club begins to plot, and Haruhi just wants to get this dance over with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone who has bookmarked! There will be more character notes at the end of the chapter!

Although Isane was positively giddy at the prospect of another person joining her little social circle, she knew that there were things that would need to implemented. Rules to be exact.

1.) Haruhi was not allowed to know about the curse until Isane could see that she could put fully her trust in the younger girl.

This was an iron-clad rule in the clan created long before the household itself had been built. Greater emphasis was later put upon it after Isane's great-great uncle took his own life after his fiancee left when he revealed the curse to her. According to her grandmother, the fiancee thought him to be crazy and still denied existence of the curse after he showed that it was indeed real. She didn't want to associate herself with such a thing.

After his burial, the rule was further enforced by the head of the family at the time, her great-great grandfather, in order to protect those born with the ability. Although effective, the rule was also what caused the clan to shrink in size over the time it'd first been created. Those with the ability were once many at one point in time. Sadly, most died without a spouse or even a friend to fully place trust into. The curse allowed them to see people for what they truly were for the most part: Greedy, selfish, and unforgiving. Generations passed on unmarried and unable to cope with the idea of passing their eyes down to the next of kin. Isane could only hope that Haruhi was different.

2.) Her Grandmother had to judge them for herself

As the only other living member of the clan who possessed the curse, Setsuna Koganegawa kept a watchful eye on the friends of her grandchildren. For her, it was a sworn duty to make sure that the people they interacted with were as honest with their thoughts as with their words. Call her a worrywart but the grandmother was fiercely protective of her family.

3.) They had to prove their worth to Kiraz and Takuya

Actually... the duo came up with that one and refused to repeal it.

Even before learning of her telepathy, Takuya and Kiraz were protective of her since their days of elementary school. Takuya was the first friend she'd ever made and she herself was Kiraz's first friend in Japan. Learning about her ability actually increased their fierceness. On par with that of her grandmother even. It was basically them attempting to chase off anyone who tried to worm their way into the trio's circle. Most people who did were after the wealth of the Koganegawa family. After all, even if they were a C-class family, they still made more than the average Japanese citizen. A lot more. They never lasted though. Between her grandmother's judgement, Takuya's baleful stares, and Kiraz's no-nonsense attitude, they ran for the hills with their proverbial tails between their legs. Her grandmother often rounded the two of them up to help her get rid of unwanted visitors trying to stick their noses into family business. They were basically honorary members of her clan.

Speaking of her best friends, they were currently in the Koganegawa household hanging out with Isane in the courtyard. The trio sat on the porch overlooking the koi pond. Takuya showing her codes he was working on, and Kiraz busily sketching their surroundings.

"So if this one is switched on the character will jump higher?" Isane asked pointing to a sequence of letters and numbers highlighted in red.

"Basically. It's a bit more complicated than that but I'll hold off the explanation."  _Now where is- ah there._ "The sequence in green is what controls the jumping itself but if I deactivate it" He switched it off and tried to get the little character on screen to jump. "Nothing will happen even if the red sequence is on." He activated the green sequence again. (A/N: So I have very little idea about how codes work. This as basic as my basic knowledge will get.)

**_Thank goodness he didn't explain. I still wouldn't have gotten it._**  Isane wasn't ashamed to admit that the inner workings of computers were something that confused her to no end.

"Anything else you've been working on?" Isane asked him as he scrolled through some files.

Takuya shook his head. "Aside from that no. It's part of an assignment I've been doing for one of my classes and I figured when I'm done, I could actually make it into my own game." He explained.  _Now I just have to get Ki to help me with character designs because my drawings are shit._

"What kind of characters are you thinking of making?" She piped up, the male of their little group jumping in surprise.

"Sheesh... Sometimes I forget that you can read minds..." Isane smiled sheepishly but Takuya waved it off.  _Relax you just startled me a little._  He thought, effectively calming the telepath down.

"What are you two conspiring now?" Kiraz looked up from her sketch book, jade hues peering at her friends from behind square framed glasses.  _Spill Isa-chan~ I wanna know~_  Her mind playfully supplied. Out of the two of them, Kiraz took Isane's mind reading in stride. It had taken a while for Takuya to fully wrap his head around the idea that telepathy actually existed.

Takuya was easily the tallest of their group standing at 5'11. He had a rosy complexion which contrasted greatly with grey eyes and the shock of jet black hair atop his head that seemed to point in every direction known to man. He tended to garner stares from the opposite sex often. Isane couldn't blame them. Even though she saw him as another brother, Takuya was admittedly very handsome. Although generally playful, his personality would make a 180 if you pushed him the wrong way.

Kiraz on the other hand was the opposite. Due to her height of 5'2, Isane and Takuya often took to calling her 'chibi-chan' just to annoy the foreigner. With olive skin and a mane of dark curls that reached her hips, Isane thought Kiraz was pretty in an exotic sense. Most foreigners were in her opinion. A transfer student from the U.S., she stuck out like a sore thumb with her mannerisms and appearance but instead of shying away, she exuded confidence. Kiraz Montoya was not afraid to speak her mind in a culture of the more reserved.

Isane adjusted the navy pullover hoodie she was wearing. "Takuya wants some help with making characters for a game." She was wearing a pair of light blue jeans that had tears at the knees and white socks. For once, her hair wasn't in a bun which allowed tawny locks to flow down her back.

Kiraz perked up instantly. "Ooh! What kind of game? Fantasy? Horror?" At this point, the petite female was bouncing in place causing the other two to chuckle at her actions. She was wearing a pink, grey, and black flannel shirt that was left open to reveal a white 'Winnie the Pooh' tank top underneath and a purple camisole. She finished the look with dark blue skinny jeans and a pair of pink and green socks decorated with sushi prints much to the amusement of Takuya and Isane.

Takuya had a thinking look on his face. "I'm not sure to be honest. Fantasy maybe? Or maybe something like a mystery game?" S _omething like Dark Souls or Final Fantasy?_ He himself was dressed in a plain white long sleeve shirt with the words 'Nerd? I prefer the term Intellectual Badass' printed in bold black letters. He wore black jeans and blue socks.

Isane could see several designs going through Kiraz's head as soon as Takuya spoke.  _ **It's honestly a little scary how she can conjure all that up in a minute.**_

"Alright I'm in. Let me know what kind of characters you're thinking up and I'll try to whip up some drafts when I get the time." She said and picked her pencils back up. The other two leaned over and tried to catch of glimpse of what she was drawing. So far they could make out a few of the koi in the pond as well as flowers that surrounded the structure and petals floating in the water.  _I need more blue... Where'd I put- there it is._

_"_ What are you doing? Realism?" Takuya asked.

Kiraz nodded. "Yeah, Mihara-sensei is having us do sketches of animal anatomy this week. Everyone else was doing dogs or cats. I wanted to draw fish and Isa-chan's the only one I know with koi."

"So you're using me for my fish then? For shame Ki-chan!" Isane joked.

"Yes! You've caught me! It's true!" Kiraz proclaimed dramatically. "Unfortunately I only want you for your fish!" The three of them burst out laughing at their silliness. Their chortles were cut off by the sound of a phone going off.

"Not me." Takuya said pulling out a black samsung.

"Not it." Kiraz claimed as she held an iPhone with a blue case.

"Me." Isane took out an iPhone with a red case from her hoodie pocket.  _ **Who's calling? Everyone went to work and Jii-san is in the workshop right now.**_ "Moshi moshi?"

"Um... is this Koganegawa-senpai?" A girl's voice tentatively asked.

"Fujioka?" Isane's voice went up an octave in her surprise. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Takuya and Kiraz giving her appraising looks.

_Who's 'Fujioka'?_

_Hang on isn't that one of those people Isa was talking about when she called me from her school?_

"Hi senpai" The younger girl greeted her. Isane could detect underlying annoyance in her pleasant voice. "I'm sorry if this is a bad time but I was wondering if you could help me with something? I don't know anyone else I can ask."

"Is something wrong?" Isane inquired as Haruhi's voice took a quieter tone. She was beginning to sound increasingly annoyed in fact.

"Not exactly... Do you know how to waltz?"

Copper eyes stared at her phone blankly. Haruhi didn't exactly appear to be the dancing type. "The waltz? Well... I took dance lessons when I was younger but that was more for traditional dancing. The waltz is something I know a bit of though. Why?"

Haruhi sighed in resignation. "The host club is going to have a party by the end of next week and I have to learn beforehand or else Tamaki-senpai is going to tell the school population I'm a girl and knock me back down to their 'dog' again." She grumbled.

"...You've got to be kidding me." The mind reader pinched the bridge of her nose. As she kept talking to Haruhi over the phone, Takuya and Kiraz looked over the scene in barely contained curiosity.

"Who's Fujioka?" Kiraz whispered the male next to her. Takuya shook his head.

"Remember that issue at Ouran that Isane was talking about when I set up a group call?" He spoke and Kiraz frowned deeply.

"You talking about the one with the creepy newspaper or the recent one with the shirtless guys and the toucan?" Both times had been incredibly unsettling. 

"The second one." He said. After Isane contacted him, Takuya called for a group chat between the three of them and Isane explained the incident to Kiraz. Needless to say, the artist was going to give those rich brats a piece of her mind if she ever crossed paths with them. You don't just flirt with any girl thinking they're going to be okay with that much close contact. Already, she was beginning to question the mental states of the students there. Wasn't Japanese culture known for being reserved? Or did that just apply to those of the normal populace?

"Gotcha. That doesn't explain who this Fujioka person is though."  _Isa-chan I know you're listening to our thoughts, we're talking about this._

At Kiraz's thought, Isane breathed a sigh out through her nose. "I'll give you a hand Fujioka. I'm warning you now though, my waltzing is limited."

"Thanks senpai. It's ok, I just need to know enough so that I don't step on anyone's feet. The host club tried to teach me but I need to be able to dance with a girl." With that the two cut their phone conversation and Isane turned to face the inquiring stares from her best friends.

"Haruhi Fujioka is a girl that's attending Ouran through a scholarship. I ran into her on my first day when I was talking with some teachers." She explained. Isane went on to discuss how Haruhi was roped into the host club as well as the fact she had to disguise herself as a boy to pay off the outrageous debt.

By the time she was finished, Kiraz ended up dropping her pencils and sketchbook in shock. Takuya nearly dropped his computer.  ** _Honestly I can't tell if they're surprised or disgusted._**  It was hard to tell the looks on their faces and their thoughts were jumbling together.

Takuya was the first to open his mouth. "She... excuse me... she owes them how much?!" He tried to talk.  _I don't think I heard that right._

"She owes the club eight million yen... I know it's shitty..." Isane felt a headache coming on.

Takuya looked like he wanted to swallow an entire bottle of aspirin. "Ki? How much is that in American currency?"

The curly haired girl paused for a moment to think. Isane could hear and see her crunching the numbers in her head.  _Let's see, 1000 yen is the equivalent to a little less than 10 U.S. dollars... so 1,000,000..._

"About 80,000 if I round it up by a few numbers. It's not  _too_  bad in U.S. dollars, but considering the difference in value... She's not going to be able to pay that all off just by hosting is she?" Kiraz thought out loud.

"This is Ouran Academy we're talking about... The campus is so big that they actually have their own zip code." Isane mumbled. "I wouldn't be surprised if they shit gold bricks out of their asses."

Takuya snorted. "So what was that about waltzing?"

"They're hosting some kind of party next week and she has to learn the waltz or Suoh is going to announce to the whole school that she's actually a girl and knock her back to being their errand girl. Or in this case errand 'boy'." Isane explained.

Kiraz scrunched her nose up in distaste. "The more I hear about these guys, the less inclined I am to remotely even find something positive about them."  _Especially this Otōri and Suoh._

"Well from what you've told us the two seniors aren't that bad. The rest of them..." Takuya trailed off.  _Frankly, the rest of them sound like utter brats._

"My sarcasm would be wasted on them anyway. Fujioka is nice though. She's honest with her thoughts too so that's a plus." Isane added.

Kiraz gave her an inquisitive stare. "Isa? Do you want her to try hanging out with us? I mean, I don't mind but I'm not going to welcome her fast. Just saying."

"Me neither." Takuya added. They both knew how hard it was for Isane to try to talk to people when it came to her ability. She often voiced her displeasure at being able to hear thoughts.  _I guess it doesn't help that we chase people off?_

Isane nudged him in the shoulder. "Hey don't think like that. I know you guys and my grandmother do it because you worry and I'm thankful for that. They just want to say that they're associated with us for our money. You know you're my best friends right?"

The two beamed at her with toothy grins. "Cross our hearts until we're dead..." Takuya began.

"Or stick cans of paint on our heads!" Kiraz finished laughing.

At this Isane giggled. "Remind me why we said paint instead of needles?"

Takuya tried to muffle his own guffaws. "Because Kiraz hates needles!"

"Oh shut up Tak! You didn't want to do the needle either!"

Isane just cracked up.

* * *

*Isane's POV*

"Well I guess there's no helping it." I spoke to myself as I wandered down one of the halls in Ouran. The next day started with me calling Haruhi back to figure out a time and place to practice. I ended up offering my house but:

_"Hello? Fujioka residence." A male voice spoke. Assuming this was Haruhi's father Isane spoke._

_"Good Afternoon, my name is Isane Koganegawa. Is Haruhi Fujioka available? I'd like to speak with her if possible."_

_"No I'm afraid she's- oh wait a moment is this the girl she was talking to yesterday? I'm so happy she finally found another girl to hang out with!" His voice was incredibly cheery and there was slight falsetto to it._

_"Well I'm certainly glad to have become friends with her as well. Is this her father I'm speaking to?"_

_"You have the right person Koganegawa-chan. By all means, please call me Ranka though!"_

_She blinked but shrugged. "Ok, Ranka-san then. Could you please pass on a message to your daughter for me? I'd like to know when she wants to set up her dance lesson for her club's party." Isane explained. She could hear Ranka humming in the background along with the scritch-scratch of pencil against paper. There was no doubt that he was writing down all the information._

_"Ok I've got that all down. By the way, what do you think of that... club she joined?" He suddenly asked. Isane couldn't help but grimace as her mouth went bitter at the thought of the host club._

_"Personally, I could think of better ways to pass the time than be surrounded by hormonal adolescents who think that a group of boys flirting and spewing compliments to every female in the vicinity could be considered romantic. I give her my condolences for being forced to join a club when the incident in question was caused by someone with more money than common sense." Isane couldn't help but blurt out and covered her mouth. **Shit! I didn't mean to word vomit like that!**_

_Ranka merely laughed on the other line. "Oh my you're a funny one Koganegawa-chan! I do agree though, I would have preferred if Haruhi had joined a different club under better circumstances. I suppose she told you what that idiot of a president did?" Suddenly he went off on a tangent. "OH MY POOR HARUHI! FORCED TO JOIN A CLUB FULL OF BEAUTIFUL BOYS AND PRETEND TO BE ONE! ALL BECAUSE THAT BUFFOON DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF PERSONAL SPACE!" The way his voice acted scandalized at the moment certainly didn't make it seem like a big deal, but Isane wasn't going to tell him that._

_"On the other hand maybe this will actually help Haruhi. I think you're the first friend she's truly made. Most of her classmates from middle school became friends with her by association."_

_Isane blinked surprised. She didn't know that. "Is that so?"_

_"Yes, but they do care. She gets calls from a few classmates here and there that check up on her. I imagine that they were all quite worried when they heard she was accepted in Ouran Academy. She even filled the paperwork out by herself."_

_"Huh..." Only a couple of days into their friendship and Isane was already seeing that her new friend was quite special._

_"Well Ranka-san it was a pleasure to speak with you. Please make sure that Haruhi-san gets my message?"_

_Ranka laughed. "Of course dear. Why don't you come over sometime? I'm sure Haruhi would enjoy it and I'd like to meet you in person. You sound like a darling!"_

_Isane couldn't help but release a chuckle of her own. "I don't think I'd mind that at all Ranka-san. Have a pleasant day."_

Eventually Fujioka did get around to calling me later that night and we managed to decide on a date for practice. My house was a bit out of the way for her to get to so that was out. She was also getting help from a customer of hers who volunteered to teach her the waltz. A Miss Kasugasaki if I'm not mistaken. It sounded like she already had someone that could help her, but she explained the girl was only able to make it once in a while. The hosts were taking it upon themselves to teach her as well which, although sweet in hindsight, proved to be more taxing than anything as none of them could play the female role themselves. She was trying to practice at home, but that also proved to be fruitless seeing as she was often home alone with her father working late. Not that Ranka-san could give her a hand either given he had no idea how the waltz went. Homework and studying needed to be done so that gave her even less time.

We ended up agreeing on practice after school that Friday. Fujioka was kind enough to warn me that the host club members would be lingering. As long as they didn't try to get near me I should be fine. I did tell her to keep the twins, Suoh and Otōri a good distance away from me though. I did get that Suoh didn't mean to freak me out but mind you, he and Otōri still give me the creeps. Otōri especially.

This brings us to Friday on a late afternoon. Two days before the host club's so called grand party. After dropping off my completed assignments, I walked up the familiar steps that led to the music rooms in the upstairs north wing. A few students who loitered still gave me odd looks but their thoughts revolved around the gala.

_Hoshiko-chan and I are going together. What time does she want me to get her?_

_What kind of suit is Kyoya-kun going to wear? I want my dress to match his attire._

_I hope I'll be able to steal a dance with Mori-senpai... I don't think I'll be able to muster up the courage to ask him though._

Well, well. Seems the host club decided to allow boys to come to the event too. I feel like this is an excuse to waste cash and party though. Anyway, by the time I got to the music room, I saw a gilded sign on the door.

_Our Sincerest Apologies Ladies!_

_Due to Preparations for our Spring Gala,_

_the Host Club will be Cancelled for the Week._

"They're damn courteous about it I'll give them that." I muttered to myself and went to knock on the door. On the other side I could hear their voices.

"Hey boss, you did put the sign out this time right?" One of the Hitachiin brothers asked. The one with the deeper voice.  _We had to deal with a few disappointed customers and Kyoya-senpai's still mad about the discounts he gave them on_ _merchandise._

"Of course I did Hikaru. Besides the one who forgot to put it up last time was Honey-senpai, not me!" Suoh was clearly annoyed with him.  _Why does everyone think it's always me who forgets?_

"Hehe! Sorry about that. I really wanted to finish that shortcake before it got soggy." The tiny third year's childish voice piped up.  _Completely worth it!_

I heard a someone sigh afterward, then Fujioka spoke up. "It's not a guest you guys."  _At least I don't think so._

"Oh, are you having company Haruhi-kun?" Another girl's voice spoke up.  _I don't believe I've seen anyone else acquainted with him._

"Yes actually." The disguised girl explained. "If you don't mind Kasugasaki-senpai, I'm having a friend help me with our lesson for today."  _Plus it helps that Koganegawa-senpai knows I'm a girl._

"A... friend?" Suoh slowly spoke before he went into what I think was a meltdown? Honestly it doesn't pay to understand that guy and his mind. "IS IT A BOY!? DADDY REFUSES TO ALLOW HIS LITTLE G-" He was cut off and it sounded like someone was trying to muffle him. "MOMMA!"  _NO BOYS ARE ALLOWED TO GET NEAR MY DAUGHTER! I WON'T ALLOW IT!_

_**Daddy? Momma?**_ And cue myself cringing.  _ **Should I be concerned that the heir to inherit the school is having another brain malfunction or is this normal?**_  "Should I just leave?" I questioned feeling a sweatdrop form on my head. The sound of the door jiggling cut my thoughts of leaving off and the door opened to reveal the tallest of the hosts. Mori-senpai I think Fujioka called him? He was still dressed in the Ouran uniform as I assumed they all were.

Surprise was clear in his dark eyes although his facial expression did not change at all. We ended up having a staring contest for a while.  _Is she the friend...?_ Now I ended up losing the staring contest after I heard that.  ** _That... Is one hell of a deep voice..._**

"I don't suppose your going to let me in?" I finally decided to speak up. "Fujioka called me and asked if I could help him today."  _ **Give yourself a pat on the back later Isane. One wrong word and they could have you trapped in there like her.**_

"Ah..." Was the only thing he mumbled.  _ **Quite the wordsmith aren't you...**_

"Ta-ka-shi!" Soon enough, the other senior, Honey-senpai?, could be heard and quite literally jumped up his back and climbed onto his shoulders. I had to keep myself from gaping in surprise.  _ **What the hell is he? A kangaroo?**_

"Who's at the... door..." The cheerful pitch and smile suddenly dropped as soon as he made eye contact with me.  _Koga-chan...?_ His mind supplied unhelpfully. To say he was surprised seemed to be an understatement as he almost dropped his rabbit plush.

I was having enough of this and I hadn't even entered the club room. "Could you please step aside?" I asked with as much politeness as I could muster. Wordlessly the tall senior maneuvered out of the way revealing me to the rest of the club who seemed to be taken aback when they saw me. I can't really blame them though. I did storm out of here after that whole tropical fiasco last time.

"Koganegawa-san. This is certainly a surprise." Otōri was the first to speak. The twins were taken aback and Suoh himself paled upon seeing me. Only Haruhi greeted me with a smile and Kasugasaki gave a polite nod.

"Thanks for helping me senpai." The younger girl spoke up as I walked over to her ignoring the boys in the room.

"No problem." I turned towards Kasugasaki and gave a respectful bow of my head. "Hello, my name is Isane Koganegawa. I hope you don't mind my presence in the room. Fujioka-san asked me to assist him as well."

She was taken aback at my formal greeting before giving a polite smile in return. "It's no problem at all Koganegawa-san. My name is Kanako Kasugasaki. I'd be happy to have you helping with Haruhi-kun." She looked at my attire and raised her brow slightly before her smile came back. "I must admit you have some... interesting attire." T _his puts a damper on things but I suppose I can't refuse if she is a friend of Haruhi-kun._

I was wearing black and orange horizontal striped tights under a pair of gray shorts, a white long sleeved shirt with Totoro printed on the front, and a sleeveless black zip-up hoodie that was left open. On my feet were an old pair of black and gray high-tops. As usual, my hair was up in it's bun and hair stick. I knew we were going to be on our feet for a while so I'd decided to put on some of my more comfortable clothes. I supposed she was surprised considering some of this stuff doesn't look like it's brand name. That's because most of it isn't. If I go clothes shopping it's usually around places that have things I actually know I'll end up wearing a lot instead of things that only see the light of day once in a while. The most expensive clothes I own are the kimonos and yukatas that my grandmother buys if we have something formal. Besides, do you know how difficult it is to shop for pants when you're tall?  

To her I shrugged my response. "It's comfortable. Shall we get started?"

* * *

*3rd POV*

The rest of the host club was at a loss for words when they saw who stepped through the door. Mori didn't speak, the twins looked on with interest, Honey just gaped, and Kyoya merely observed.

Tamaki on the other hand went as white as a sheet. His head turned almost mechanically to the vice-president. "Kyoya... please tell me that she isn't..."

The cool host wanted to roll his eyes at their king's current behavior. "Sorry to burst your bubble Tamaki, but yes, that girl with Haruhi and Kasugasaki-hime is in fact Koganegawa-san. I suppose you're still haunted by what happened the last time?" His suspicions were confirmed when the blonde jolted and backed away.  _Moron..._

"I didn't think she'd come back." Hikaru said leaning on his brother's shoulder as they observed the tawny haired girl helping Haruhi with her dance steps.

"Yea, I would've thought the boss traumatized her." Kaoru added his two cents and they both grinned in amusement watching as Tamaki went back to his corner of woe now growing mushrooms but not before yelling:

"Like you two devils can talk! You kept invading her personal space! ...Such a horrible experience... my reputation as the host club king... shattered..."

"Does this mean Koga-chan doesn't hate us?" Honey spoke getting down from his perch on Mori's shoulders.

The rest of the boys turned to him in surprise. Then to each other, then to the direction of Isane who was currently guiding Haruhi. Did she hate them?

Honey huffed quietly to himself. He had to admit, they'd probably come on much too strong for the girl to handle. This was especially after club had been over and the twins began talking to Kyoya about it.

_*Flashback*_

_They'd just finished cleaning up the music room. Well almost all of them. Tamaki was back in his corner of woe, slurping down cups of instant ramen. It was obvious he was still miffed. Whether it had been with the incident earlier or the fact that one of his customers switched hosts, the rest weren't sure. It was proving to be very annoying on the other hand. Even the twins, who normally took every opportunity to mess with the blonde, were fed up by his behavior._

_"Oi boss!" Hikaru called out. "Seriously! Put down the commoner's ramen and give us a hand here already!"_

_"Yea this party isn't gonna plan itself you know." Kaoru said as he held up a list. Tamaki wanted to host a gala since the cherry blossom trees around the school were going to bloom in a few weeks' time. He thought it would be a good way of giving the ladies a good time and special attention. To combat the ratio of girls to hosts though, they were going to extend the invitation to male students. After all, the party may be for fun but it was also a way of networking with other families. That and there were only seven hosts to go around._

_There was also the fact that they needed to find someone to practice formal dancing with Haruhi. She had no prior experience and though she didn't even want to attend, they managed to blackmail her with her secret. Speaking of which the girl was currently checking some things off when Honey bounded up to her._

_"Hey Haru-chan?" She looked over to the tiny senior who clutched at his bunny plush. "Was Koga-chan really okay after the tea and cake?"_

_Haruhi nodded. "Don't worry senpai. I think the tea and cake helped her calm down. She said 'thank you' by the way."_

_"It's kind of odd though." Hikaru suddenly spoke up gaining their attention. "We've never seen her in school before."_

_"Yea you'd think that hair and eye color would make her stick out like a sore thumb. I've never heard of someone having eyes that shade either. Do you think she was wearing contacts?" Kaoru asked his brother who shook his head._

_"Nah, her eyes would have had that glossy effect like Haruhi's. They were the real deal. Hey Kyoya-senpai, do you know if she's new to the school?" Hikaru asked the cool host. Kyoya made it a point to research students who attended Ouran in order to figure out who would merit him in some way. That was how he'd figured out Haruhi was really a girl after all._

_"Isane Koganegawa, class 2-C. She is the youngest of four children and the only daughter to Chiharu and Ichijou Koganegawa, an architect and chef respectively. The whole family is made up of artisans, save for the eldest son who is an ER nurse at the Hongo Mercy Clinic. They don't seem to have a main business in particular and based on records, Koganegawa-san was admitted to one of my family's hospitals in the area last year for what appears to have been a debilitating anxiety attack. Since then, she's been taking lessons from home. Honestly, there was no merit in me associating myself with her so I paid no mind." The rest of the hosts sweatdropped at his answer. Of course he would say that._

_"I still feel bad for Koga-chan though. She must of been really scared." Honey mumbled eyes downcast once more. He couldn't get that pleading look she'd had out of his head. If he closed his eyes he could see those unusual copper toned hues staring into his, swirling with panic and exhaustion. Her mouth twisted into a grimace that they couldn't turn into a smile. She was actually pretty with her odd coloring if he thought about it. 'I bet she's even prettier when she smiles.' Honey thought to himself as they went back to planning the party._

_*End of Flashback*_

"Eh... well she certainly doesn't like us." Hikaru said and Kaoru nodded his agreement.

"On the other hand it seems she gets along with Haruhi quite well." Kyoya noted scribbling something into his notebook.

"You don't think..." Hikaru began but Kaoru shook his head.

"No she would've said something if she figured out Haruhi's a girl." The younger pointed out.

* * *

As Isane switched with Kasugasaki, she couldn't help but notice that the other girl tried to lean in closer to Haruhi as she instructed her on turning in the dance.  _ **What is this girl playing at here? I mean I get she thinks that Fujioka is a boy and all but this is cutting it kinda close.**_ Copper eyes watched the two of them carefully and she was surprised when she heard Kasugasaki's next thoughts.

_I wish I could be with Tohru like this... It feels as if he doesn't want to be near me these days..._

_**Tohru?** _

She was brought out of her thoughts when Haruhi accidentally stepped on the other's foot. The rest of the hosts winced as she and Haruhi toppled to the ground with Haruhi landing on top of her.

"I'm so sorry Kasugasaki-senpai!" Haruhi yelped flushing red as she tried to get off of her quickly. She was stopped however when the older girl wrapped her arms loosely around her neck.

"It's quite alright Haruhi-kun." She crooned. Everyone in the room blinked as a sparkling aura seemed to the surround the two of them.

**_Annnnd that's my cue to ruin the moment. Where'd the sparkles come from anyway?_**  Isane thought as she quickly lifted Haruhi under the arms and moved her into a sitting position. "Kasugasaki-san please get up. If you don't mind I'd like if we try to get Haruhi  _not_  to topple over like that again. I'm not sure anyone else would appreciate that, much less at the actual event."

That seemed to snap the other out of it as she took the hand Isane extended towards her.

On the other side of the room, the twins watched with barely concealed amusement as Tamaki curled up into a ball still in his corner. "Wow, the boss is really blue huh?" Hikaru commented.

"He wanted to be Haruhi's partner for dance practice, but he's too tall to fill the female role. Then again, so are the rest of us except Honey-senpai." Speaking of the small senior they turned to see him and Mori-senpai twirling around the room aimlessly.

"Ha-ha! This is fine! Faster Takashi!" The child-like teenager giggled.

"They seem to be having fun." Isane commented as she drank out of a water bottle she'd brought with her.  ** _Common sense seems to have flown out the window again_**. Her mind retorted. It did look like they were enjoying themselves though so she didn't say anything else.

"Sorry for having you both help me out senpai." Haruhi apologized pouring tea in three cups and set one down next to Kasugasaki who wiped her face down with a towel.

"You don't have to apologize Fujioka." Isane waved off the apology and sipped at her tea. She grimaced at the taste of earl gray and immediately searched for the sugar bowl.

"Koganegawa-san is right. We're completely okay with it." Kasugasaki laughed. "Besides, I know that the club is limiting guest service due to the party. I'm happy because I can monopolize you."

Haruhi couldn't help but deadpan and Isane ended up choking on her tea when she heard this.  ** _That isn't worrying at all..._**

It was then that Kasugasaki studied the tea cup further. "Oh! You have a new tea set. Isn't this Ginori?" she exclaimed holding it in her hands for a closer look.

_'Ground Seaweed'?/' **Ground Seaweed'?**_ Isane and Haruhi both translated in their heads.

"I'll never understand brand names..." Isane mumbled around her cup taking another sip.

"Indeed. You have a good eye princess. Today is the first time we're using it." Kyoya said using his host smile. Isane put down her cup before she could choke on her tea again and shivered.

_**So fake...**_ She whined feeling her skin crawl. That feeling went away as she saw the distant look in Kasugasaki's eyes as she held the tea cup fondly.

"Beautiful color..."  _It matches his eyes._  In her mind flashed the image of a teenager with dark brown hair and reddish-brown eyes that matched the hue of the tableware. A very familiar teenager.

_**Where have I seen that guy before? I know him from somewhere.**_  Isane racked through her brain trying to come up with a name to match the face.  _ **H**_ _ **is name is Tohru right? What's his surname? It's on the tip of my tongue.**_

"You must really like tableware senpai?" Leave to Haruhi to bring people out of a trance. Isane's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as Kasugasaki began to panic.

"NOT REALLY! I DON'T REALLY LIKE IT! OH MY! WHAT ARE YOU- OUCH!" In her startled state, Kasugasaki knocked over her tea cup and burned her hand with the piping hot liquid.

_So she does like it..._  Haruhi's thoughts rang as she got up to usher Kasugasaki out of the room. "Let's go to the nurse's office..."

* * *

*Isane's POV*

"Well that wasn't suspicious at all..." I couldn't help but mumble around my cup as I went to take another sip.

"Yea what was that about?" One of the twins commented. The one with the deeper voice and hair parted to the right.  _Does Haruhi even know where the office is?_

Then I realized my predicament: I was stuck with the host club.

The damnable host club.

Fujioka was gone.

There was no one to act as a buffer.

My human shield was gone.

_**Shit...** _

"Hey Koga-senpai we want to ask you a question." The other twin came.

Okay you know what? I'm just going to call them 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2' from now on. I can't really tell them apart so this will make it easier than calling them by their hair parts. Wait a minute...

"What did you just call me?" I asked them. I'm pretty sure they didn't just call me what I think they did.

"Koga-senpai" Thing 2 (Twin with right bangs and deep voice) answered almost bored.

"Your surname's a mouthful to keep saying so we thought we'd shorten it. Besides Honey-senpai already calls you that." Thing 1 pointed out.

A sigh escaped my lips. I wasn't going to be able to get away so I might as well get it over with. "Fine... What did you want to ask?"

"Where did you get your clothes from?"

Well that was unexpected.

Thing 1 decided to explain. "We've never seen anyone wear the combination you're wearing right now. It doesn't look half bad."  _The colors don't clash and the tights mesh well with the style of the shorts._

"It's almost like skater fashion." Came the reply of Thing 2.  _It kind of brings her skin, hair, and eyes out some more. The sneakers are beat up but they add to the whole look._

"...Thanks I guess? I get most of my clothes from Jam Pixy or I buy them online. Sometimes it's hard to find my size because of my height." I spoke and the twins nodded though there was a reverberating question going through both their heads.

_What's Jam Pixy?_

_Doesn't sound like a brand name I've ever heard of. Maybe we should look it up later?_

A knock sounded on the door, prompting Otōri to open it. In entered someone carrying a tall stack of heavy looking boxes labeled 'FRAGILE'. When I mean they looked heavy, I mean whoever was carrying them was shaking from the sheer weight. "Excuse me, I have deli-WOAH!"  _CRAP!_

Mori-senpai immediately ran forward and in an impressive feat, managed to catch the boxes before they could fall to the ground. I'm sorry to say that the one who'd previously been carrying them ended up face planting on the ground.  _This was not a good way to end my day..._

Walking towards them I bent down and held a hand out to him. "You ok?" He ended up lifting his head and grabbed the hand offered to him.

"Yea I'm fine. Sorry about that. The one who was supposed to bring in the delivery today called from the hospital on short notice so I ended up volunteering. I thought it'd be easier to bring everything all at once. Not one of my smartest ideas." He chuckled and looked up at me. Reddish-brown eyes stared at mine in surprise.

"Koganegawa-chan?" He muttered in disbelief. That's when the name finally hit me.

"Suzushima-kun." I greeted him back and went to help him up.

He gave a grin. "This is a surprise! After what happened in class last year I never saw you again except for in the halls after school and when I help out with deliveries. How have you been?"

"I've been ok. I'm here helping someone out today. Are those all tea sets you were bringing in?" I gestured to the boxes the tallest host was bringing into what I assumed was a storage room. Either he has some serious muscle mass or Suzushima needs to work out.

"Yup." Then he pulled out a crumpled paper from his pocket. "Before I forget, can you hand this to your father and tell him to call mine back? He ordered some new tableware earlier this week and we want to make sure we got everything right. He hasn't called back though."

I nodded my understanding. My father was busy this past week training a temporary chef at his restaurant since one of his staff was going on maternity leave soon. It was to the point that he was running on steam though, so to decrease the workload, Jun-nii, my grandfather, and mother were taking some of his calls and helping with orders for ingredients. My grandmother, Ryuu-nii, and I on the other hand were helping out with replacing things in the restaurant interior. We understood in the end that 'Kakusareta Shinju' is his pride and joy, something that he'd built from the ground up. It was funny to see him get scolded by Yuki-nii for not taking better care of himself though.

"I'll let him know. Thank you very much." I said.

"Well since the order has been delivered I have to go say bye to some teachers." He explained and Thing 2 raised a brow.

"Why?" He asked. Otōri was the one to answer that question.

"You're studying in abroad in England for the rest of the semester correct?" Suzushima nodded but there was also a distant look in his eyes.

"That's right. I'm the heir to a company that exports and imports tea ware so I figured what better place to broaden myself."  _I guess I see why Kanako's been coming here. They outclass me._ "I better go. Excuse me. It was nice seeing you Koganegawa-chan." With that he walked out the door though I could have sworn he started running as soon as he stepped out of view.

I frowned in thought.  ** _This isn't making any sense. First Kasugasaki is flirting with Fujioka until she sees the tableware and then she starts freaking out. Not to mention she thought of Suzushima when she saw the cup. Then Suzushima got upset when he saw the host club. I mean I guess I can see what he meant by outclassed in terms of power. They outclass me too in that sense. What's missing?_**

"You know Suzu-chan, Koga-chan?" I was brought out of my reverie by Honey-senpai and looked down at the tiny senior. It's hard not to think that he's a child. I mean he looks like he'd still be in elementary school with that face! There's no way that this guy is actually older. Right?

"We're in the same class as he said. My father and my grandmother order tableware from his family's company so it's not uncommon for me to see him helping with deliveries." I explained sipping on what was left of my water bottle. I gave up on sipping the earl grey. Not even sugar can make it taste remotely pleasing. "What the heck's going on though..." It was a mumble. Not meant to be heard by anyone else, but it seemed the small senior heard it.

"You noticed that Kasuga-chan and Suzu-chan were acting funny too?" That got the attention of the other hosts real quick for soon they gathered into a circle (save for Otōri who wisely stayed away). With me in it.

"She did blurt out she wasn't interested in tableware." Thing 2 muttered.  _I just thought she was embarrassed._

"Anyone else notice how touchy-feely she's been with Haruhi whenever they practice?" Thing 1 asked and there were utters of agreement all around. I ended up squeezing myself out of there. It does not do me good to be squished between people like that. Maybe it's a good time to go home then?

"Suzushima was acting strange as soon as he left the clubroom." Suoh spoke.  _Perhaps our combined beauty grew too much for him to handle._

My eye twitched as soon as that thought came through.  _ **Keep telling yourself that narcissist.**_  I went to pack my towel and water bottle back into my backpack.

"Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Suzushima-san and Princess Kasugasaki are in an arranged marriage."Otōri spoke up holding his notebook open. Everyone else in the room froze.  _It could explain their behavior although I don't see the point in becoming angry over her trying out different people and going with the flow. The two of them will be married soon enough after they graduate._

**_I don't think that's it. At. All._** The more time I spend around these guys, the more I think I'm going to have a permanent scowl on my face. The next thing I know, Mori-senpai somehow accidentally stepped on Honey-senpai (He can't really be that small can he?) and raced him to the nurse's office while Suoh and the twins somehow got their hands on a white board as well as pictures of their customer and her fiance.

_**Back away slowly Isane. Just back away slowly.**_ The sound of the door opening once more caused me to turn around and find Fujioka back with the two seniors and no Kasugasaki with them. "Was Kasugasaki ok?" I asked the younger girl as the other two joined the rest of the group.

She deadpanned at the scene in front of us. The hosts were all gathering information about the arranged marriage and already they had insulted Suzushima over his looks and personality, declaring him plain and boring. My temper only rose as Otōri insulted him for being C class.  _ **I'm right here you shitty bastards... I can hear every word and every thought you're saying. If I thought you people were assholes before, you've just won the award for 'Assholes of the year'...**_

"What happened to having a dance lesson..." Fujioka grumbled.  _They said I had to practice but now they're moving on to something else and so fast._

"Apparently meddling in other people's love life was more important." I muttered rolling my eyes at the rest of them. "Anyway, what happened?"

"Kasugasaki-senpai was ok. It was just a slight burn. Then we ran into another classmate, her fiance, and she started acting weird again. She crashed into the door when Mori-senpai entered with Honey-senpai and just ran off." She turned to look up at me. "Do you know what's up between the two of them?"

I shook my head in response. "I'm afraid not. Even if I did that's something the two of them need to discuss on their own. These guys have no right to butt into their personal business."

Suoh shot a incredulous look in my direction. "Koganegawa-san how can you say that?! This is a matter of the heart! As the Ouran Host Club it is our duty to make every woman happy!" He declared.  _ **Don't hit him. Whatever you do, don't hit him.**_

"Then they should be able to sort this out themselves if they're mature enough to do it. I know for a fact that Suzushima is, but it seems to me that all Kasugasaki wants to do is run instead of face her problem head on." I sighed. "I get you want to help her out and that's kind Suoh, it really is, but this is between them. Butting in might only make it worse."

"It will not. We will make sure of it." The determination in Suoh's eyes was so much that I almost believed him. Almost.

"Do you want to continue practicing?" Fujioka jolted in surprise as I talked to her.

"Are you sure? I mean they're planning something and most of the space is being taken up with the white board so we can't really do that in here." She pointed out. I had an idea though.

"That's why we're going into a different room." I grabbed my backpack and urged her to follow me. "C'mon."

* * *

*3rd POV*

Haruhi followed Isane through the hallway until they ended up at the very end and in front of another gilded door. Isane opened it up to reveal a spacious room with a low table in the very center. Instead of the marble of other rooms, the flooring was wooden planks colored a rich mahogany. The walls were painted a warm yellow instead of the pink-white the honor student saw in the rest of the school. Two massive cabinets stood on either side of the bay window in center of the farthest wall. Though clean, it seemed the room hadn't been used in a long while.

"Welcome to the Tea Ceremony Club room." Isane declared placing her bag near the door. She pulled her phone out and set the device on the table as she scrolled through it. Haruhi took in the wide space. She could see why the older girl had recommended studying in here. It was much farther from the rest of the rooms in the hall, the color of the walls gave off a relaxed atmosphere rather than the fixings that screamed 'rich', and the window gave a nice view of the courtyard in the center of the high school division.

"Now I really regret not coming into this room." Haruhi said. She heard Isane huff out a laugh and feet shuffling on the hardwood floor.

"Yea this is a really nice space. It's a shame their club disbanded though. I probably would've considered joining if they'd stayed but it is what it is. Now come on. We've got practicing to do if we want to keep your secret a secret." She tapped her phone and soon enough Haruhi could hear classical musical playing.

"Get into position like Kasugasaki and I taught you. Hand in the crook of my arm since I'm much taller, other hand on my waist." She instructed. "Now I'm going to take a step back with my left foot and you're going to follow with yours in half a step ok? The idea is to be able to move without looking at your feet. You have to look at your partner while you dance or else your going to bump into someone when you switch."

This went on for awhile. Isane fixing Haruhi's position and reassuring the girl when she actually did step on her toes. All in all, Haruhi wasn't a bad dancer. She just needed to remember not to look down and she would be set.

Soon enough it was beginning to grow late and the two of them could see the sky transitioning into an array of orange, pinks, and yellows.

"Damn... time really flew by." The tawny haired girl commented as they left the club room and back towards the third music room.

"Tell me about it. I still have homework and dinner to cook. I might have to push doing my homework tomorrow since there's also laundry that needs to get done. Dad wants to meet you sometime by the way." Haruhi commented.  _He wouldn't stop badgering me until I agreed to ask her to come over. I don't mind but there's a big difference between a mansion and an apartment._

Isane gave her a small smile. "I don't think I'd mind coming over at all. He sounded very cheerful on the phone when I spoke to him. Let me know a day that you wouldn't mind me stopping by."

"Are you sure? I mean my house isn't a mansion or anything and I live near the shopping district." She explained.

"Wanna know a tidbit about me Fujioka?" Isane took the other's inquiring look as a sign to continue. "Other than high school, I've never had a private education. Elementary and middle school were all public schools."

The scholarship student froze in place. "Public schools? I don't mean to sound rude, but why? No offense, but your rich."  _I didn't even think rich families would want to send their kids to public schools, much less the kids themselves minding it._

Copper eyes twinkled slightly as she heard the girl's thoughts.  ** _The curse might be a pain in the ass but I suppose it isn't all bad when you have friends like Kiraz and Takuya. Hopefully Haruhi can be a part of that too..._** "When my dad was a child, my grandmother used the money she made to send him to private schools. He ended up learning a great deal, but schools like that, like Ouran... they're not necessarily the best environment to make friends. Everyone is always singling out who makes more or less money in places like these. Who stands at the top and who is at the bottom. When my brothers and I were born, our parents sent us to public schools so we could understand that even though we may make more than average, it doesn't make us better than everyone else. We went because we were taught to understand the value of money and that it shouldn't be wasted frivolously. I met my two best friends in the elementary school I went to you know. It doesn't matter that we come from different classes. They like me for me just as I like them for being themselves."

"They sound like very good friends to have." Haruhi said smiling a little as they reached the music room.

"Yea. Takuya and Kiraz can be a little crazy sometimes but they're the best.  _ **They've done more for me than they could ever think of and I can never thank them enough for it.**_

"Haru-chan! There you are!" They looked at the door to find Honey and Mori stepping out. "Tama-chan noticed you were gone and wanted to know where you were! See Takashi? I told you she'd be with Koga-chan." He beamed at Mori.

"Ah..." The dark eyed host nodded and turned to Isane. "Thanks..."

Said girl blinked.  _ **Damn... his voice is just as deep when he opens his mouth...**_  "For what?"

"For teaching Haru-chan!" Honey piped up. "We know he needed to dance but everyone else was too tall and I don't really know the female role all that much so we couldn't do a lot. Was it hard though? You're taller than Haru-chan too."  _I have to be careful I don't say 'she' or else that's the end of the secret. I don't want her to feel even more uncomfortable with us. Although I think Kyo-chan scares her more to be honest._

_**You've got that right.**_ Isane shook her head. "He'll be fine. It's good practice anyway. Those girls are going to be wearing heels."

"See you later senpai." Haruhi entered through the door and at once, Isane could hear the poor girl being bombarded by the twins and Tamaki. She almost felt bad that she was leaving her at the mercy of the annoying trio. Almost.

Mori walked back in soon enough. Just as she was about to walk out of the hall, a tug on her sleeve stopped her. Isane looked down to find that honey was still standing in front of the door.

_**I thought he walked back in with them...**_  She thought surprised. "Senpai?"

"I'm sorry Koga-chan..." He looked down at the floor in shame. "We made you uncomfortable again didn't we..."  _We didn't mean too. We just want to help them out. Kasuga-chan shouldn't have to feel unhappy with Suzushima for whatever reason._

**_If that were the issue, she wouldn't have been thinking so fondly of him in the first place._** Isane held her tongue though. They may be a bunch of self-centered men with severe lack of common sense, but she could tell they meant well. Except maybe for Otōri.  _ **He's just plain creepy. End of story.**_ "I'm not upset senpai..." She began. "Just a bit overwhelmed with all of... this..." She gestured to the door where they could hear Tamaki and the twins fussing over planning and over Haruhi.

Honey chuckled causing the taller girl to look at him strangely. It wasn't one of those little giggles he'd made earlier and it wasn't accompanied with a 1000 gigawatt grin. It was lower, coupled with a softer version of his smile.  _Yea, Tama-chan, Hika-chan and Kao-chan can get crazy. It's actually really funny when Tama-chan starts running around like a headless chicken when it comes to Haru-chan. Takashi won't let me make a betting pool with Kyo-chan over that though._

**_So he is actually a senior. I wouldn't have guessed. Though the betting pool does come off as a surprise._** Honey wasn't coming off as a little boy at the moment. He came off as much older compared to how he acted. **  
**

"Sorry about that. Hika-chan, Kao-chan, and Tama-chan get carried away sometimes. It's fun most of the time though." He looked up at her. "I'm just glad you don't hate us Koga-chan."  _I was really scared for there for a bit._

She blinked in shock at what she heard.  _ **Hate them?**_   "Senpai there is a huge difference between dislike and hatred. I may not care for what you people do in this club of yours, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I hate you for it. It's just that when you think of a host club, most people think of something bad."

This time Honey sweatdropped as he tittered out a nervous giggle. "I could imagine. When we first started, a lot of the girls that came weren't sure what to expect either. There was actually one time a teacher came and scolded us for starting a club that could create a scandal. Tama-chan had to clear a lot of things up with staff after that..."  _Not to mention the chairman although he took it much better._

"Can I ask a question?" At his nod, Isane continued. "What was up with that whole mom and dad spiel I heard earlier?"  _ **It was fucking creepy**_.

Honey looked like he wanted to laugh, choke, or do both.  _Tama-chan..._  He groaned in his mind. "Tama-chan thinks of the host club like a family so he calls himself the 'papa'." He explained.

"Then who was he calling 'mama'?" The girl raised a brow and Honey couldn't help but snicker into his plush rabbit.  _Kyo-chan is still miffed about it but it's too funny! We can't not tease him about it! _"Kyo-chan." Now he did laugh as Isane's mouth puckered like she'd swallowed a lemon.  _I guess she doesn't like Kyo-chan huh..._

**_The mental image..._**  Isane thought horrified and shivered. "Wasn't expecting that..."

The blonde senior grinned. "I could tell." Then his face softened. "Hey Koga-chan? I'd like to start over if that's ok with you?"

"What-" Was all that she could say before Honey stuck his hand out.

"Hello! My name is Mitsukuni Haninozuka but everyone calls me Honey!" He introduced. "I'll be eighteen years old soon and I'm a third year. I like sweets and rabbits! Oh! This is Usa-chan!" He held the pink plush toy and took it's paw waving it in her direction.

Isane couldn't help but crack a slight smile.  _ **He might be eighteen but even I have to admit that was pretty cute. I guess I can humor him.**_ "It's a pleasure Haninozuka-senpai. My name is Isane Koganegawa. I'll be seventeen soon and I'm a second year. I like books and penguins."

He gave her a pout. "Koga-chan..." He whined. "Call me Honey! Everyone does!"  _Please?_

Isane shook her head. "I've only just met you senpai. I think I'll stick with your whole surname."  _ **I'm still not comfortable with this whole 'host club' shtick either.**_

"Fine..." He conceded although reluctant. Then he perked up. "Hey Koga-chan? Would you like to come to the Gala? I'm sure Haru-chan would like to see you! It'll be fun!"  _Please say yes?_

Isane sighed and shook her head once more wiping the hopeful look on his face. "That's kind of you senpai, but I'm going to have to decline. I'm not fond of parties and I don't like to dance much. I only helped because Fujioka asked me to."  _ **Even if I wanted to, the sheer amount of people in one space would probably be enough to overload me. I don't want another repeat of that. Besides, I am very much allergic to parties. And dresses.**_

"Oh..." He looked down at the floor pouting.  _So Koga-chan doesn't like parties. Well at least now I know she doesn't hate us._ With that in mind he nodded to himself and smiled at her again. "Ok. Well then bye Koga-chan!" With that he quickly entered the room shutting the door behind him.

"I guess he's not too bad either..." Isane mumbled to herself and she too left the hallway. It was about time for her to go home anyway.

* * *

As Honey entered the room he saw that Tamaki and the twins were still plotting their course of action. Haruhi seemed to have given up on them and went to do her homework on the other side of the room. The only ones to notice him were Mori and Kyoya, though the second paid only a fleeting glance before returning to whatever he was doing on his laptop. Honey bounded over to his and Mori's designated table and began to munch on the cakes that were left over from earlier.

"Mitsukuni." His paused mid bite of a strawberry shortcake and chocolate hues met midnight.

"Did you do what was needed?" Mori asked him. While it was rare for him to say more than a single word or noise to anyone else, Mori talked more to his family though even then it was often monosyllabic. Honey knew him better than anyone though so it was safe to say that they could communicate even with lack of words.

"Yup. Turns out, Koga-chan doesn't hate us at all!" He exclaimed happy as he bit into a strawberry.

The corners of the other senior's mouth twitched upward in the makings of a slight smile. "Good." With that he turned to pick up a book from his bag and began to read.

Honey buried his face into the soft fabric of Usa-chan as he felt his own little smile creep up onto to his face and his cheeks turned pink.  _I was right. Koga-chan is prettier when she smiles._

* * *

*Sunday Night*

Isane was reading manga on her futon when her phone rang and she jumped at the noise. "The hell?" She picked up said device and saw that it was Haruhi on the other line.

"Moshi moshi."

"Koganegawa-senpai?" Haruhi's voice spoke on the other line. She sounded tired but that was to be expected. The host probably just came back from the party.

"Hey Fujioka. You sound exhausted." She commented earning a snort from the other line.

"I am. Thanks for warning me about some of the girls wearing heels by the way. Your advice helped." Then she turned annoyed. "I could have done without what happened during the entire thing though."

"Oh boy... What happened..." Isane got comfy and prepared herself for a long explanation.

Luckily for her, Haruhi got straight to the point. It turned out that Kasugasaki hadn't been going to the host club simply just because she wanted to sample other men. She only went to try and make Suzushima jealous so that he would go out of his way to say she was his. The two of them were childhood friends and from what Haruhi explained, madly in love with each other but they thought the other wasn't interested romantically. Long story short, the hosts made a plan for the two of them to reunite which involved Haruhi putting on a dress and pretending she was a girl who was in love with him.

"So Kasugasaki took it the wrong way and Suzushima ran after her?" Isane asked.  _ **T**_ _ **he whole time it was a misunderstanding. Baka couple.**_ She thought to herself.

"Yea. I just wish it didn't involve me wearing that outfit though. My feet still hurt from walking in heels. I didn't even get to eat any of the fatty tuna they served at the party." The younger girl grumbled.

"Well at least it ended well." Isane mumbled.

"The night was eventful. Kasugasaki got crowned queen of the gala and I had to fill for Tamaki-senpai and kiss her." Isane choked on her spit.

"I don't think I heard you right... Wha?"she sputtered.

Haruhi sighed. "It was supposed to be a kiss on the cheek but then Tamaki senpai pushed me and I ended up kissing her on the mouth. She took it well though and Kyoya-senpai cut my debt by a third." She muttered something about a 'shadow king' but Isane ignored it trying to decide if she wanted to laugh or keep choking on her spit. She put it so bluntly, it was shocking.  _ **And here I thought I didn't have a**_ ** _filter._**

"Ok Fujioka I'm gonna let you go for now. Get some shut eye." she said preparing to hang up.

"Oh! Senpai before I forget, would you like to come to the host club a few weeks from now?" The younger asked and Isane couldn't help but raise a brow.

"Why?" She asked.

"We're going to host a flower viewing in the courtyard. We thought inviting you would be a good way of saying thanks for my dance lesson." Before Isane could reject the invitation, Haruhi spoke again. "You don't have to be hosted. Kyoya-senpai said you can have a spot to yourself if you like."

_**Probably to try and get me to come back as a customer.**_ Isane thought to herself shuddering at the mention of the vice-president. "I don't know Fujioka... I'll think about it."

"Thanks senpai. Have a good night then." She hung up.

Isane leaned against her pillows and looked up at the ceiling in thought. "To accept or not to. That's the question."

* * *

In the Fujioka home, Haruhi looked at the phone in thought as she recalled the events after Isane left the Host club.

_*Flashback*_

_"So are we in agreement for our plan gentlemen?" Tamaki asked the twins and to an extent the rest of the club as he finished speaking._

_"Got it boss!" The twins spoke._

_"I suppose it will be entertaining at least." Kyoya shut his laptop closed._

_"We're in too!" Honey chirped and Mori nodded his consent._

_Haruhi was the only one who objected. "Senpai should we really be butting in? I have to agree with what Koganegawa-senpai said. They should probably sort this out on their own." Honestly the girl just wanted to go home so that she could get started on dinner. Her father was working the graveyard shift again and she wanted to have something ready for him when he came home._

_"Silly Haruhi, we aren't butting in! We are simply giving them a push in the right direction. As members of the Ouran Host Club it is our sworn duty to make every girl who enters through our doors happy. Speaking of which, it is time to address our next plan!" He declared which perked the interest of everyone else in the room._

_"Next plan?" Kaoru echoed confused. There was more?_

_"Boss what're you talking about now?" Hikaru asked._

_Tamaki merely pushed the white board away revealing another one behind it. Written in black marker at the top were the words: OPERATION GET KOGANEGAWA TO BECOME MORE SOCIAL!_

_"Men, it has come to my attention that Koganegawa-san keeps shying away from anything that involves her socializing yet she's become friends with our beloved Haruhi. In order to help her overcome her fear, I've devised a plan that is sure to broaden her circle and place a smile on her face." He declared._

_Everyone stared at him blankly. Then Hikaru spoke._

_"Uh boss? You do remember Kyoya-senpai said she's got anxiety disorder right?" Tamaki flinched as an arrow marked with 'Anxiety' hit him._

_"Yea. It's not like that's gonna magically disappear if we surround her with people." Kaoru added. They watched as Tamaki was sent back into his corner growing mushrooms._

_"That would actually make it much worse." Kyoya added. "If you were to get her to become more social, it would have to be little by little."_

_"Guys, we're not making a plan involving Koganegawa-senpai. Leave her alone." Haruhi chided them._

_"But Haruhi, you seem to be her only friend here! Wouldn't you want her to be surrounded by others that she can form friendships with?" At this Haruhi stopped somewhat but she remained resolute. The older girl did have other friends and it seemed she preferred quality over quantity._

_"Senpai she should be able to make friends on her own terms." She argued back. As much as she liked Isane, she didn't want to drag her into this whole mess. How_ _ever it seemed that was what would happen anyway._

_"I'd like if we could help Koga-chan even if it's just a little." Honey added his input._

_"Mm..." Mori nodded his consent._

_"I guess if Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai are on board then we can get on it." Hikaru said._

_"It doesn't sound like a bad idea anyway." Kaoru agreed._

_"I suppose we can use our next event as a start then_ _." Kyoya supplied. "We agreed to rent out the courtyard for a flower viewing in a few weeks. If she wishes to, Miss Koganegawa can attend as a first time guest and we could introduce a few regulars to her to ease some socialization."_

_"What if she doesn't want to come?" Haruhi asked._

_"Then we can think of something else." Tamaki said with determination. Haruhi merely sighed. There was no stopping him was there._

_*End of Flashback*_

"Should I have just told her about what the Host Club is planning?" Haruhi questioned herself. They had their hearts in the right place but knowing the six of them, something was bound to happen. Then again...

_I think it'd be nice if we could actually help in some way. Even if it's just a little bit._ "I guess I'll be playing damage control then." With that in mind, Haruhi turned in for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This brings us to the end of chapter 5. Once again I hope I didn't mess up on anyone's personality. I'm doing a combination of the manga and anime so I want to make sure no one sounds strange. I did not realize how hard it was to give dialogue to Mori until I wrote out his parts. Yikes! Anyway here is some information on Takuya and Kiraz:
> 
> Takuya Nishimura
> 
> Age: 16
> 
> Height: 5'11
> 
> Birthday: September, 3rd
> 
> Favorite Food: 
> 
> Blood Type: B+
> 
> Biggest Pet Peeve: His older sister is always asking him to fix her computer
> 
> Kiraz Montoya
> 
> Age: 17
> 
> Height: 5'2
> 
> Birthday: October, 21st
> 
> Nationality: Puerto-Rican/Turkish
> 
> Favorite Food: Curry buns
> 
> Bloodtype: O-
> 
> Biggest Pet Peeve: People like to tug on her curls and watch them bounce back up.
> 
> By the way, 'Kakusareta Shinju' translates to 'Hidden Pearl', so the restaurant run by Ichijou Koganegawa is called the 'Hidden Pearl'.
> 
> Note: Ok so I know a lot of people like to say we put ourselves or our friends making OCs to put in stories. While that is true to some extent not everyone does that. When we do create an OC we tend to create them based on different types of people. Not just friends and family. It could be strangers, or other fictional characters. There's more than one application. I'll give an example using my OCs in this story.
> 
> Isane- She's not based on anyone I know in particular but I've always had a fascination with the odd eye and hair colors that are shown in anime characters. I find copper to be a very pretty color and the tawny hair was actually from another fanfiction story called 'I love my fat self'. It's an ouran fanfic and it is very good. I suggest it to anyone reading this. Isane's personality was somewhat based off of Jane Lane from the MTV series Daria. I loved the snarky banter between Jane and Daria so I decided to make Isane somewhat sarcastic and sassy.
> 
> Takuya- He's not exactly based off of anyone in particular either and I can't really go into his development without spoiling some things. I have plans for him that you'll see later on in the chapters as I continue to write. I will say this though. His father will be based off of a parent character from the manga Gakuen Babysitters. (I recommend it. It is precious)
> 
> Kiraz- She was actually the first OC I ever made though she had different names before. She is actually a combination of a family member as well as some things that I've picked up. For the most part, her love of art is based off of my aunt's passion as an artist. Originally she was going to be a completely of Hispanic origin but I decided to change it up. That actually came from my mom telling me about a co-worker of hers getting married. Her co-worker is of Indian descent and the man she married is Puerto-Rican. Plus I like the name Kiraz a lot as it means 'cherry tree' in Turkish.
> 
> Well now you know! Please remember to review, be civil if critiquing, and let me know how I can improve!
> 
> Ja'ne-Kitsune to Tenshi-chan


	5. Hanami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Host club's Hanami begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next everyone! Enjoy!

As soon as Haruhi entered class the following Monday morning, she was flanked by Hikaru and Kaoru. "There you are Haruhi." The elder twin greeted as soon as they saw her walk in.

"C'mon, the boss just texted us to come into the club-room for a morning meeting." The two of them quickly tugged her out of the classroom and towards the upstairs north wing.

"Huh!? Why are we having a meetup before class? I wanted to review my notes before morning period started!" The brunette couldn't help but complain. The party on Sunday and hosting took a large chunk out of her time that could have been spent studying. There was also dinner to make at home and chores so by the time she was able to start it was usually late evening by then.  _Honestly... Had I known that this would be my school life if I entered the music room I would've just gone straight to the Tea Ceremony Room._ Her mind grumbled. She was still a bit bitter about that.

"We're not sure actually." Kaoru piped up as they finally made it to their destination. He and Hikaru opened the doors with a flourish.

"Ladies first~" Hikaru teased.

Haruhi rolled her eyes. "Thanks." She deadpanned.

They entered to find their upperclassmen already present. Mori and Honey were sitting in their usual spot with the smaller senior already attacking a piece of strawberry shortcake while Mori read a book. Kyoya was sitting near the window typing away at his laptop and scribbling every now and then in his black notebook. The twins used to have an ongoing game on who could see what exactly it was Kyoya typed or wrote down in his black notebook, but after constant thwarted attempts, the gingers gave up in favor of bothering their host club king.

Speaking of the blonde, Tamaki was currently standing in front of the whiteboard with sticky notes and scribbles decorating the surface. As Haruhi walked towards him, she could hear the older male mumbling to himself as he quickly scribbled more kanji down. The honors' student turned her attention to the board and was surprised to find that the most of the notes plastered to the board were notes on social anxiety. The scribbles on the board, from what she could read, were different events and ideas.

**Ideas:**

**-Introduce a customer with equal shyness?**

**-Have Haruhi host one on one?**

**-Table to herself?**

A few ideas had been hashed out such as inviting Isane to a small gathering or a host club sponsored trip. Others included how to try and ease the trouble with anxiety as well as certain triggers. Haruhi's eyes softened a bit as she saw the seriousness on Tamaki's face.

_Senpai is pretty serious about helping Koganegawa-senpai isn't he?_

"Tama-chan's really focused on helping Koga-chan! You see it too right Haru-chan?" She was broken away from her thoughts by Honey who seemed to have teleported from his area. "He was here before Takashi, Kyo-chan and I walked in." He pointed out.

Haruhi blinked unable to hide her surprise. That was news to her. "Has he been here since dawn?"

"He contacted me on Saturday to ask if my family had any books on anxiety." Kyoya explained. "I told him the libraries might have more information on the subject seeing as most of our books deal with physical alments. From the looks of it he took my advice." Without looking away from his computer he pointed a finger to the massive pile of books and that sat precariously atop the coffee table in the center of the room. From self-help books to even an encyclopedia about psychological disorders, it was obvious Tamaki tried to look for any material he could in the libraries of Ouran.

"You think he cleaned out the psychology sections?" Kaoru asked his twin.

"No idea. He might've. This is heavy even for the table." Hikaru pointed out listening to the varnished wood creak in protest against the combined weight of hard-covers and paperbacks.

The blonde in question sighed as he capped the marker in his hand. "Well gentlemen and Haruhi, I've spent the rest of the weekend and this morning researching what I could regarding social anxiety. All we need now is to prepare a proper battle plan to help Koganegawa-hime combat her predicament. So far we've come up with the Hanami scheduled for Friday, but we need more ideas. This is going to need multiple steps if we are to help Haruhi's companion open up. Now... who has an idea that they'd like to share with the rest of us?" He pointed in the direction of the rest of the hosts.

The other six looked at each other unsure. "Well..." Kaoru began.

"We don't really know anything about Koga-senpai." Hikaru finished the sentence.

"Other than the fact she's kinda boring." The spoke in unison.

"You two are just saying that because she didn't want to along with your act." Haruhi deadpanned. "If someone doesn't like what you're doing then stop."

"She did say something interesting though." Hikaru thought outloud.

"'If it keeps creeps like you away, then I'll be as boring as possible'." Kaoru parroted their senpai's words. "You'd think that someone with social anxiety would probably just shy away."

"Social anxiety comes in different forms." Kyoya began. "Take for example, Friday during Haruhi's dance practice. She was unnerved but not enough that her response would have been to leave as soon as possible. This can however, be chalked up to her upbringing. Koganegawa-san may be of a somewhat lower standing but she is still a part of the elite. Respect is a must."

"I suppose so. Now that I think about it, she appeared more irritated to be among us more than anything. I did read that sometimes anxiety can be triggered by extremely large crowds though." Tamaki stated as he picked up another encyclopedia.

"If you guys really are set on helping Koganegawa-senpai, then maybe we should just stick to flower viewing for now." Haruhi piped up and the rest of the club turned to look at her.

"Why not Haru-chan? I thought inviting her to have cake might be a good idea. Everyone loves cake!" Honey chirped from his seat as he polished off the rest of the confection on the table.

"Think about it. If you guys keep trying to invite her to club related events she probably won't go. I might not know Koganegawa-senpai very well yet but I do know that she isn't keen on the host club itself." The only female host finished her explanation. The rest of them adopted thoughtful looks on their faces.

"That's true. Koga-chan said that a Host Club doesn't really make the best impression." Honey chimed once more, a thoughtful look adorning his youthful features. At this an arrow with the word 'nasty' launched itself into Tamaki's side.

"Remember when Kobayashi-sensei lectured us?" Kaoru smirked over at his brother who grinned like the cat that ate the canary.

"I don't think I've ever seen anyone's face turn purple before." Hikaru snickered

It was quite troublesome to explain that we aren't that type of business." Kyoya drawled as another arrow hit Tamaki in the back. This time with the word 'troublesome'.

"Yea." Mori helpfully replied.

"Mori-senpai that doesn't help!" Tamaki pleaded with the tallest host.

"So we should just go slow?" Hikaru brought the conversation back to their main topic effectively ignoring Tamaki's plight much to the chagrin of the host king.

"I think that's the safest bet to go on. If her entering the club the first time is anything to go by, it's that she doesn't seem to like closed spaces with lots of people inside. The courtyard is huge so she can find a place to sit without having to worry about the guests bothering her." Haruhi explained.

"I suppose that means you'll be the ice breaker then." Kyoya pointed out. "If that's the case Honey-senpai might prove to be of some help. Am I right in that you stayed out of the club room to speak with her senpai?" He turned towards the tiny senior who nodded vigorously.

"Yup! Koga-chan doesn't hate us. Our club just makes her uncomfortable." Honey looked to the side awkwardly at the end of his sentence and turned away from the rest of them. The earful they got from Kobayashi-sensei still had him reeling whenever he thought about it. That teacher knew how to make a person feel small.

...That was not intended to be a pun regarding his height. He was fun-sized not short thank you very much.

"Frankly, I can't say I blame her for that. A room full of shirtless guys isn't exactly what you call a normal introduction." Haruhi deadpanned more to herself. Still, Tamaki managed to hear it and another arrow shot through him.

"Well while our king is out of commission, let's finish planning out where our guests will sit down and what not. Hikaru, Kaoru, are the costumes ready?" Kyoya asked the twins as he opened his notebook.

"Yup, Mori-senpai, Honey-senpai, and Haruhi will be wearing kimonos since the weather isn't warm enough for yukata yet." Hikaru explained.

"The rest of us will be wearing the waiter outfits so that means we're going to need to bring the tea carts out for all the China." It was Kaoru's turn to speak. "If we're going to accomadate Koga-senpai we can set up a spot near Haruhi."

"You did ask her right?" They all turned to Haruhi who froze in place a bit now that all eyes were on her.

"I called her after the party and she said she'd think about it, that's all. If anything just set the spot away from the rest of the guests if she does come." The sole girl of the club explained.

"Very well then." Tamaki spoke recovering from his earlier fit. "For now I suppose it's time for us to return to class before the bell. Haruhi, stay on standby for when Koganegawa-hime makes her decision. Kyoya, make sure to secure a spot that's not too close to the rest of the guests but not too far away either. As for the rest of us, remember to keep our guests entertained for our allotted time!"

Now it was only a matter of whether or not the girl in question would actually show.

* * *

*Isane's POV*

"Ok that's the last of it..." I could feel my back trying to pop as I stretched my arms over my head. I just finished writing down my notes for Japanese History that Mikage-sensei was kind enough to video tape during class. It's a nice arrangement, one that works very well for me. The teachers will record the lectures with a camera in the back of the room and send the footage to me via email. That way I'm not just copying down notes without understanding them.

The clock on my wall now read 5:00 in the evening. Jun-nii and and Otou-san wouldn't be arriving home until later in the evening and Kaa-san was still at work discussing some building designs with her higher ups. Currently, the only people home other than myself were my grandparents. This basically means my grandfather and I are cooking tonight. I love my grandmother but we all know that when it comes to cooking, she tends to burn everything. Even she knows to stay away from the kitchen unless she's brewing tea or having a snack.

I walked into the kitchen to see my grandfather already at the counter chopping vegetables. Next to him was a package of gyoza wrappers. He turned and grinned when he saw me.

"Ah Isane! Just in time. Could you grab the pork from the fridge and start seasoning it? I need to finish chopping these up." He gestured to the mess of onion, scallion, garlic and cabbage leaves on the cutting board before resuming his slicing.

"Salt, pepper and soy sauce right?" I asked opening the spice cabinet to look for the aforementioned ingredients.

"Add a bit of sesame oil to it too would you?"  _Now where the hell did Ichijou put the frying pan?_

"Try the cabinet under the sink Ojii-san." Unlike Takuya and Kiraz who sometimes forget that I can read minds, my grandfather doesn't even bat an eye as he goes to dig through the cupboard I mentioned. Being married to a woman with telepathy and having a grandchild with the same ability has made him and the rest of my family immune to most surprises overtime. Have something on your mind but don't want to say it outloud? It'll be heard anyway.

Soon enough, the kitchen filled with the smell of meat and seasoning as we pan-fried and filled gyoza after gyoza. Embarrassingly enough, my stomach began to growl as the smell enveloped the whole kitchen. Ojii-san only laughed in response. "Don't worry sweetheart, as soon as these are done we'll get your grandmother and start wolfin' 'em down. Gotta make sure we have enough left for everyone else."

"I can hardly wait." My mouth was already watering from the smell alone. While neither of us are whizzes in the kitchen like my dad or Jun-nii: Ojii-san, Kaa-san and I are pretty good at cooking.  _ **Actually... Can Yuki-nii and Ryuu-nii come for dinner sometime this week? It's been a while since they last stopped by. Or came by to spend the night in Yuki-nii's case.**_

My musings were interrupted when my grandfather spoke again. "So I heard from your grandmother that you made a new friend?" I nearly dropped the dumpling I had in shock. When I turned to look at him, my grandfather's normally jovial face was softened where I could see the laugh lines and wrinkles on his face.

Looking down at the dumpling in my hand, I placed it on the counter and began filling another one in an awkward silence. "I managed to. She's a scholarship student at school." I mumbled.

The kitchen was silent save for the sound of the gyoza dough sizzling against the pan. "I'm proud of you, you know that?" He spoke up and wrapped his hand around my smaller one, crooked fingers and calloused skin comforting. "When you were still a little tyke your grandmother was the most worried about you being able to make friends. All Setsuna had was the family to rely on, but it's a lot more difficult when those with the same problem disappear and you suddenly find yourself alone."

I knew he was referring to the fate of previous clan members who died alone. Always afraid of passing down the eyes that cursed us to read minds. Always knowing the true feelings and thoughts of others and the loneliness that came with it. As my grandmother had always said, she would forever be thankful that she'd married my grandfather because he loved her despite the curse she'd been born with.

"Don't let that gift of yours get in the way of living okay sweetheart?" He gave a gentle smile before returning to cooking.

Dinner was a quiet affair among us. As soon as my parents and brother got home though, it turned into a competition over who could wolf down the most gyoza. I'll admit it got a bit out of hand when Jun-nii and I fought over the last piece. Long story short: I got jabbed in the ribs, Jun-nii was tackled to the floor, Kaa-san shoved Tou-san and Obaa-san ended up eating the last dumpling.

* * *

As soon as I entered my room, I pulled out a notebook with brown leather covering its surface. I don't share this very often, but I do enjoy writing a lot. There's just something about it that takes you away from the real world. It's like the universe is at the tips of your fingers. With pen in hand, I began to jot down words at random. I'm not writing anything concrete. I basically write ideas and try to give them substance. It's just this exhilarating feeling.

What I wasn't expecting on the other hand was my phone ringing and me accidentally drawing a jarring line in the middle of my notebook.

"Damn it..." I mumbled and picked up my phone. "Fujioka." I mumbled seeing the I.D.

"Moshi moshi."

"Hi Koganegawa-senpai. Do you have a minute?" Her tone was relaxed.

"Yea sure. What's up? Is the host club bothering you again or something?" She chuckled on the other line.

"They're always bothering me about something senpai but it's nothing I can't handle. Thanks for asking though. Things calmed down a lot after the party. I actually wanted to ask if you decided on coming to the Hanami this week?"

Ah, right. I'd actually forgotten about that to be honest. I wasn't sure if I'd actually like to go either. I mean would you want to be surrounded by a bunch of screaming girls?

"About that Fujioka, I'm not sure about going or if I'd even be welcome to be honest. Most people just know me as 'sick girl'."

"Are you sure senpai?" She somewhat pressed. "I don't mean to sound like I'm pressuring you but, doesn't it get lonely being at home?"

I paused as she said that. Sometimes the quiet could be a bit much but I was never lonely. Though I have to admit, I miss the days when Kiraz, Takuya and I all used to hang out after school. I can always give them a call but being with each other in person and through the phone are two very different things. I wasn't sure I wanted to spend time with the Host Club though. The seniors were alright but Suoh, Otori, and the twins made me wary.

"Tamaki-senpai also wanted to invite you as an apology for his actions at the club the first time. He honestly didn't mean to scare you." Haruhi added. "He and the other hosts really aren't so bad once you get to know them. They're just..." Her voice trailed off trying to look for a word to describe it and I couldn't help but crack a slight smile.

"Stuck in their own world most of the time?" I finished for her.

Fujioka huffed out a laugh. "That pretty much sums them up. If it means anything though I'd like you to come too senpai. School and the club don't exactly make it easy to be around friends that often. You don't even have to sit near any of the hosts or the guests."

It's a nice thought if I'm being honest here. We have a lot of flowering trees in our estate and though Sakura may be some of the ones on the grounds, they are few and spread out with my late great-great grandmother having preferred Wisteria and plum blossoms. I suppose it would be a nice change to get out of the house and the grounds. Even if it means having to visit the host club.

"All right you have me convinced. I'll go, but I'm hauling my ass out of there if anyone so much as tries to woo me ok?"

I could practically see the younger girl's smile on the other line. "Great! The Hanami is after school on Friday. That's when you usually come right?"

"Yea, I'll see you then." At that we hung up.

Standing up, I walked out of my room and towards Jun-nii's room. "Hey Jun-nii! Do you know how to make Sakura Mochi?"

* * *

*Time Skip to Friday afternoon: The Hanami*

As per the usual Friday routine, the school guards on shift took my bike and let me enter the school grounds. The only difference is that my legs want to turn into jelly. Instead of my usual backpack I brought a larger black one that I normally use as a carry-on for flights. I brought a thick brown quilt to put on the grass as well as a box of treats and a canister of matcha tea. I would've attached the box to my bike, and believe me I tried to, but the damn thing didn't want to stay balanced on the bumper and this particular model didn't come with baskets like some bikes do.

Dropping off all my assignments I made the trek to the high school division courtyard, my heartbeat increasing with each step. Can you blame me though? I'm terrified to know what kind of cockamamie dress code they decided on this time. It's a Hanami so hopefully this will be on a much tamer scale compared to all those tropical animals.

The pink petals of the Sakura trees came into view and with them, the chattering of various girls filled the air. To both my surprise and relief the club wasn't doing anything that could be considered crazy. A shuddering breath escaped from me. I really psyched myself out there for a moment.

All around one section of the courtyard there were tables strewn about as well as two sets of blankets. If you took away the blankets it would look like an outdoor cafe. Suoh, Otori, and the Hitachiin twins were dressed like waiters complete with bow ties, black vests, and black aprons that tied around their waists and ended at their ankles. They were chatting up their customers all the while serving teas and cakes with expensive looking tea sets. In another corner, Fujioka, Haninozuka-senpai and Morinozuka senpai were sitting at the blankets. Unlike the other four, their outfits consisted of kimonos.

Fujioka, of course wearing a male kimono for the sake of hiding her gender, was decked out in a simple cranberry color montsuki with an orange juban underneath and grey hakama. Haninozuka-senpai wore a lilac montsuki and matching hakama over an indigo juban with a baby blue haori. To his right sat Morinozuka-senpai in a dark teal montsuki, white juban, and black hakama. Unlike those sitting at the tables, the blankets were covered in an array of traditional sweets ranging from sweet red bean paste to dorayaki. The petals that fell made for a very pretty sight.

Fujioka glanced in my direction and smiled as soon as her eyes locked with mine. "Koganegawa-senpai!" She greeted slipping on her geta and excusing herself from her guests before walking towards me. A few of the girls looked up in surprise at the mention of my surname but soon went back to their own devices, in other words back to ogling their respective hosts.

_Wahh! Kyoya-kun looks so dashing as a waiter!_

_This tea is absolutely delicious! I wonder if this is seasonal or if I can get it directly from the buyer?_

_The sick girl came?_

_Why is she here again? She acted so rudely the last time!_

I ignored the thoughts invading my minds as best as I could and gave Fujioka a slight smile.

"I'm glad you could make it senpai. I can bring you a blanket or a chair and table if you want." She said.  _I'm happy that she managed to make it here. This is actually turning out to be one of the nicer themes this club has done so far. Hopefully things don't take a wrong turn though._

_**Don't jinx yourself there Fujioka.** _

I waved a hand dismissing the options. "It's alright Fujioka." I gestured to the backpack on my shoulders. "I brought my own. Just tell me where I can set up."

The younger girl brought me over to a spot further away from the guests at the tables, but close enough that I could still see everyone interacting. If I left out the part here this was a hosting event, I would have thought I was in a park with other people enjoying the sight of the first Sakura blossoms of spring. I pulled out the box of treats first then the heavy quilt and began spreading the thick fabric under the cluster of trees surrounding me. It was a bit on the cooler side today so I'd worn a baggy cream color cable knit sweater with a loose wide collar, black jeans, and a pair of white chucks.

"Now where'd I put my tea?"

* * *

*No one's POV*

Haruhi sighed as she sat back down with her own guests. So far she had to admit that even she was enjoying this particular event despite the madness that was the host club. Isane seemed to be enjoying it as well if the content look on her face was anything to go by. The older girl was currently sipping from a thermos cup with a box next to her. In the end it had been a good idea to have here near the blankets and not the tables.

"So the host club decided to invite Koganegawa-san to the Hanami?" A guest, Aino-san if she wasn't mistaken, asked as they joined Mori and Hani for their next session.

"Pretty much. She was helping me with dance lessons for last week's party so we thought about inviting her to say thank you."  _That and as an apology for Tamaki-senpai freaking her out._

_"_ Well she definitely looks like she's having a nice time, but doesn't she feel lonely sitting by herself?" Another guest asked taking a bite of red bean paste.

"I think Koga-chan just likes the view!" Hani chirped setting up a bowl and whisk in front of him. Mori set a box of matcha powder next to the smaller boy who excitedly explained that he was going to make tea.

* * *

*Isane's POV (Again)*

So far it's been pretty peaceful. The chatter is just static in the back of my mind, the mochi and tea cakes Jun-nii helped me make came out pretty tasty, and so far no hosts tried to woo me.

"Which cup would my princess like to have her tea in?" Suoh's voice drifted from the backdrop of voices. "Foley? Worcester? Or perhaps Susie's Gardenia?"  _I find that Susie's Gardenia fits with the most with the floral theme but then again the tea sets that we have today all seem to fit._

"These are all British antiques right?" The girl he was currently speaking to asked.  _These are all so lovely. Perhaps I should ask them what company they imported these sets from. I'm sure mother would enjoy some of these._ "Which of these is your favorite Tamaki?"

"Well, if I had to pick..." He spoke and the girl suddenly sighed in infatuation. I on the other hand found my eyebrow twitching. He was setting her up with a pick up line. "It would be this princess to go."

"Oh my... Tamaki-sama..." She swooned.  _Such a perfect prince~!_

_**Houston we just lost all contact. I repeat, her brain has officially left the building.**  _I snarked merely taking another sip of my tea and a bite of mochi. Too bad Sakura mochi is only seasonal, this stuff tastes great.

"You mean you've never been to Covent Garden in Britain?" One of the twins asked. Mind you I still don't know who's who. All I know is that the older one seems to have a deeper voice and a slightly more mischievous thought process than the other, although the younger is willing to go along with him.

"No, all our antiques are from Portobello Road." One of the girls at their table explained.

This time the younger spoke. "It's actually pretty interesting there. It's where we got most of our Victorian pieces."  _Let's see if we can get some these girls to blush with a little 'accident'._ The sound of something being knocked over and a hiss of pain had me looking in their direction. Hey he could've actually hurt himself and it would've been bad for everybody.

"Kaoru!" Ah so Kaoru is the younger one. Hikaru (the deeper voiced one) sighed taking his brother's hand and put the burned finger to his lips.  _I see what you did there brother. Nice one. "_ Honestly, be more careful. This happens because you're looking at other stuff. Just keep your eyes on me from now on okay?"

"Hikaru..."

Okay I officially retract that last statement. Where'd all the sparkles and roses come from though?

"My heart can't take it! I'll faint!" One girl panicked. The sad part is she really does look like she's going to pass out from watching them. He face is about as red as a tomato.  _Oh my gosh so wonderful!_

_"_ Hey you have to watch carefully!" Her friend scolded her though the effect was ruined by the blush on her own face. "You might not ever get another chance like this!"  _Kaoru is saying that Hikaru's love healed him!_

_**Now I could be wrong but don't they do this, I don't know... Every time these girls go to their club?** _

No sooner did I think that when Otori seemed to have teleported his way to their table. With his plastic host smile he immediately cast the girls under his spell. "You're absolutely right ma'am. All beauty is fleeting. Just take a look at these blossoms. You will never be able to see them this vibrant again." Then he whipped out what looked like books?

"Coincidentally I've made a photo album to capture such day to day beauty. If you buy all four books you'll get a discount for the full set."  _Even with amateur shots such as these, we should be able to make a decent profit given the .amount of customers present._

A bunch of them quickly clamored to get their hands on a full set. I couldn't help but sweatdrop at the scene.  ** _So do they just throw the pictures out once they graduate? It'd be pretty damn creepy if they just kept them afterward though._**

"Well, now we know how the club makes extra money." The older twin Hikaru said watching the entire fiasco. "I have to wonder though"  _I don't recall ever seeing Kyoya-senpai with a camera._

"When did he take photos of us?" Kaoru the younger twin finished for him.  _That's actually a little creepy._

_**Glad I'm not the only one who thinks so.** _

"Ne, ne Koga-chan!" My attention was turned to my left where I saw Haninozuka-senpai standing next to me smiling from ear to ear. "Are you having fun?"  _I hope she is. She's all by herself though. Maybe if I invite her to our spot for tea she'll smile again? She has a really nice one._

"Hello senpai." I greeted holding back the surprise I felt.  _ **He thinks I look nice when I smile?**_ "I can't say I'm not enjoying myself. It's pleasant out here. Nice kimono."

"Hehe! Thanks! Do you want to join us for some tea? I'm making matcha!" Then my box entered his line of sight. "Did you bring snacks too?"  _They look so yummy~_ His mind was now filled with thoughts about sweets. I couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction.

"Here help yourself." I pushed it towards him. He blinked at me then stared back at the treats and back at me.  _ **Like a puppy**._  I couldn't help but make the comparison. "Go on. I feel like if I don't offer you any I'll suffer some kind of consequence."

That was all he needed to hear before he picked up a tea cake. From the pink color he picked up a strawberry one. He popped it into his mouth and as he chewed, I had to rub my eyes as pink flowers appeared around him. What was with this club and special effects? Did they have some kind of crew following them?

_Delicious! These are almost better than those cakes Kyo-chan ordered last week!_ At that I couldn't help but puff with pride for my older brother. Jun-nii's no famous baker (yet) but I'll be damned if doesn't make some of the best sweets I've ever had.

"These are so good!" He cried out going for a piece of mochi this time.

"I'll tell my brother you said thanks." I said about to pour myself another cup of tea when I noticed how light the thermos felt.  ** _Did I go through the tea that fast?_**

_"_ Eh!? Your brother made these?!" He yelped shocked.  _I watch our chefs bake and these are just as tasty as the cakes they make me!_

Then Haninozuka-senpai noticed my thermos and tugged on my sweater sleeve. "We have enough matcha powder if you want to refill your thermos Koga-chan! You can bring your snacks too!"

Not wanting to be rude (remember rich people), I ended up following him with the box of treats in my other arm. Excitement was clear on his face as he ushered me to sit next to Haruhi while he sat back with Morinozuka-senpai. I nodded to the two girls who stared at me with curiosity and gave Fujioka a slight smile that she returned.

"I guess Honey-senpai wanted more snacks?" She asked pointing out the box.

"Yea. My brother helped me make these. Want one?" I offered her a green tea cake that she graciously took.

Fujioka took a bite and chewed before smiling slightly. "Delicious! You said you made these at home? I would've thought you had a cook or something."

I shook my head in response. Tou-san is a cook and taught my brothers and I how to prep meals. Yuki-nii and Ryuu-nii both live alone so they have to rely on themselves to cook. "My father is a cook himself so we learned from him."

One of the guests eyed my snacks curiously. "Is that sakura mochi? We have some too but ours isn't as pink." She gestured to the a plate where I saw that she was right. The mochi spread on the blankets was very light in color, almost white The difference is my brother added a little strawberry syrup he had leftover from a recipe he'd been trying earlier to the rice as we were mashing it. He didn't want to use food coloring.

_I'm a bit tempted to try one but I don't want to seem rude._

_Those tea cakes look so pretty!_

"If you want help yourself. My brother and I went a little over board and as much as I like his baking I can't eat all of this." I pushed the box towards the center of the blanket where they helped themselves to more sweets (ergo Haninozuka-senpai). Even Morinozuka-senpai helped himself to a green tea cake.

"Did your brother really make these?" The other guest asked and I nodded.

"He's a baker."  _A damn good one too._  I thought.

Then Haninozuka-senpai began making matcha tea as part of a tea ceremony. Does anyone have the heart to tell him he's being way too messy about this? Because I don't.

_Should I say something to him?_ Fujioka's thoughts were the first to echo in my mind.

_Um... I'm no expert at tea ceremonies but isn't that whisking it a little too hard?_

_There's more tea on the blanket than in the cup. Honey-kun please don't get it on my uniform._

_Gotta keep stirring. I still see clumps!_ The host in question thought to himself as he just kept mixing. He's so serious about this no one has the heart to tell him!

A few moments of tense silence later, Morinozuka-senpai finally broke the proverbial ice. "...Mitsukuni" He bent down. "You overdid it."

_He told him!/_ **He told him!**  We all had the same thought as Haninozuka-senpai was broken from his intense focus and peered down at his bowl to see that all but one drop of matcha remained in the ceramic. The rest of it splattered all over the blanket.  _...Whoops... I got it all over the place..._  His mind pouted. Then another thought wandered in.  _Actually... Maybe I can use this?_  His face gradually formed a teary expression startling the two girls between him and Fujioka. Little sneak.

The girl closest to him snatched up the bowl with surprising speed. "Oh Honey-kun this looks absolutely delicious!" She proceeded to gulp down the single droplet of tea.

The other guest atempted to cheer up the 'distraught' blonde. "It's just the right amount for both of us! Anymore would be too much! How did you know?"

"Really?!" In a second he went from teary back to cheery.  _It worked!_

Morinozuka-senpai merely offered him dango all the while he sighed in his mind.  _I should have told him to get lessons from Okaa-san earlier in the week if he was planning to do this. Hopefully the stains will come out before we have to return the blanket._

This guy is a lot more talkative in his mind than he is in real life. Fujioka turned away from the scene choosing to walk under the trees and get away from the weirdness. The two girls left as their allotted time was finally up. "...so..." I muttered as it was just me and the two seniors.

Talk about awkward silence.

"Did you want to refill your tea Koga-chan? I can mix it again!" The small blonde asked.  _I'll try not to spill any this time!_

I shook my head. "No thanks senpai. Can I have the matcha powder and the whisk? I think I'll make it myself."

Both he and the taller host gave me looks of surprise. I don't see why though. When I was younger Obaa-san would teach me how to properly make tea and tea ceremony lessons became a bonding activity between the two of us. We still do it from time to time and sometimes Jun-nii and Kaa-san join us with snacks.

"Really?! Can you show me?" Haninozuka-senpai suddenly bounced with excitement and bounded over to sit next to me on Fujioka's cushion though he nudged it a few inches away from me beforehand.  _I don't wanna scare Koga-chan. Maybe I should checkout one of the books Tama-chan got on social anxiety? Haru-chan and Kyo-chan said not to startle her because that'll get us back to square one._

_Social anxiety books? Are they trying to help me or something?_  While it's touching that Haninozuka-senpai wants to be mindful, it's not so much social anxiety than it is everyone's thoughts trying to enter my brain and give me a migraine. It's not like I can say that though, it's a school for rich people remember?

"I guess." I said getting everything ready. The first thing I did was take the little scooper and pour matcha powder into the bowl. You can do it with hot water in already but I prefer doing it like this. If you pour the powder on top it's going to be messier when you go to whisk which is what happened with Haninozuka senpai. Next came the hot water. I only poured enough so that the bowl would be half full. You don't want to fill it past that yet or else, like I said, mixing will be more difficult.

"How come you didn't fill it all the way Koga-chan?" The small senior asked observing what I was doing.  _I get why she put the powder in first but I always see Hanako-oba-chan fill it to the top._

"If I do that it's going to create a big mess when I go to stir. My hand isn't all that steady so I pour little by little." I explained grabbing the whisk. "Now pay attention. When you go to whisk you can't stir like you were doing earlier. That's why you had so little tea left. Use slower motions. Best way I can describe it is if you're drawing a circle over and over." My hand tilted a bit as it went in circles, breaking up clumps. Then I added a little bit more water and repeated the cycle until the tea reached the near top of the bowl. (A/N: I watched a few videos about tea ceremonies but I feel like it's a lot messier if you fill the water all the way based on what I watched)

"It takes some practice but that's what I do. The important thing is that you don't whisk too fast or the powder loses its flavor." With that I began sipping at the bowl and sighed as the bittersweet flavor hit my tongue. Matcha and sweets are the best.

* * *

*Haruhi's POV*

At least Koganegawa-senpai seems comfortable with Honey-senpai and Mori-senpai. She was still somewhat tight-lipped with the two guests but she definitely seems a bit more relaxed when less people are present in one spot. "The Sakura blossoms really do look pretty."  _I can't remember the last time I went to a Hanami. Elementary school maybe?_ This was a lot more relaxing compared to the club room. The chatter wasn't as bad though it's nice hearing the girls talk so freely.

"Ah! Haruhi! How are you enjoying the viewing? Are you having fun?" Tamaki-senpai walked over from another table.

_I'd enjoy it more if this weren't a club activity but I can't let him know that._

"Maybe it's not as fun because you can't tie a necktie around your head as commoners do, but see here! Originally the flower viewing was to appreciate flowers!" He declared although frankly, he didn't actually need to.

_Did he get that from a show or something? No one actually does that unless they're dead drunk._

"Then again," Oh he was still talking. "It's more daunting when being the one admired."  _Annnnd he went into narcissist mode._  Huh... Sounds like something Koganegawa-senpai would say.

"Can you tell which part of me is spring-ish? I'll give you three minutes to think about it-" I should probably stop him before he goes off into a tangent.

"Your brain." I muttered. And he went into his corner of woe.

* * *

*No one's POV (Again)*

"Hey Haruhi!" The brunette felt an arm land on either shoulder and looked up to see the twins grinning down at her.

"Have you decided your electives for this quarter yet?" Kaoru asked now wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"How about we take the same electives? After all..."

We're in the same class~ The twins leered at Tamaki gleefully as they taunted him. Over at Honey and Mori's area, Isane had to rub her eyes. She couldn't hear a word they were saying over there but she could have sworn she saw a banner appear over the Freshman reading 'Friendly Classmate Trio'.  _Did they put something weird in the matcha?_  She thought peering into her bowl.

"What's wrong Koga-chan?" Honey asked her. She had glanced in the direction of Haruhi, the twins and Tamaki and ended up with a strange look in her eyes before inspecting her cup.  _Was something funny about the tea?_ He thought as he helped himself to another Sakura mochi from Isane's box.  _I wonder if she could give me the recipe? These taste so good!_

_"_ Nothing senpai."  ** _Except for the fact I think my mind can't discern reality from minds anymore. Seriously, flowers, glitter and now random banners?_**

*Meanwhile with Tamaki*

The tall blonde couldn't help but pout as he watched the twins talking about electives to take with Haruhi.

"Hey mommy?" He asked Kyoya who ended up with them a few moments ago.

The host in question paused in his writing. "...What is it daddy?" (A/N: Ok that sounds so wrong in Kyoya's voice)

"This is only a hypothesis but, I always thought I'm with Haruhi all the time yet that was just an illusion caused by having so many club activity scenes. So can it be... That the twins, being in the same class as Haruhi, know loads more about here than me?"  _Argh! It's horrifying just saying outloud!_

Kyoya merely gave him a dry look in response. "You just figured that out?" Immediately he pulled a whiteboard out of nowhere with two piecharts drawn. "In the span of one day the twins spend nine hours with Haruhi during school." He pointed to one chart. However, your time with Haruhi spans to a mere two hours during club activities. Subtracting the time you spend with your customers, that equates to a single hour. In other words, you only spend three percent of Haruhi's life with her within a year."

"I DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!"  _THOSE DEVIOUS DEVILS SPENDING TIME WITH MY LITTLE GIRL! I CAN'T STAND IT!_  Tamaki's sudden scream and loud thought caused Isane to choke on some bean paste. Mori immediately appeared behind her patting her back as she coughed the confection out of her windpipe. As soon as she was able to breath, Honey handed her another bowl of tea which she gratefully gulped down.

"Thanks..." She croaked.  ** _What the hell was that about?!_**

She looked back in Tamaki's direction and wished she hadn't. He was now yelling at the twins while wearing garb from what appeared to be the feudal period. Where he'd gotten them from she didn't want to know. She couldn't even begin to imagine where he got the matching topknot wig.

"The hell did this become, the fucking circus?" She rasped. Then she slapped a hand on her mouth when she realized that Honey and Mori were still near her.  _Shit my word vomit!_ She panicked and looked up. However instead of horrified looks at her use of language like she had expected, Mori seemed to have the slightest hint of a smile and his eyes screamed amusement. Honey on the other hand was outright trying to muffle his giggles behind his haori.

"S-sorry Koga-chan, I'm not trying to laugh but that was really funny!  _Most of the girls usually ignore it but this is the first time I've ever heard someone call Tama-chan out on it! I can't help it! What makes it even funnier is that Koga-chan has a potty mouth~_

_"_ Heh..." Mori huffed out a slight laugh.  _Circus... That's a new one._  He thought further causing Isane to raise a brow at how nonchalant they were about her swearing.

"You know most people would be appalled by someone swearing, especially here." She pointed out. ** _They're both pretty calm about this. The last time I swore around here people in my class started avoiding me like the plague._**

Honey smiled at her though once again it wasn't' the cutesy smile he showed his guests. This would be the second time the blonde senior showed her an honest turn of the lips. "Koga-chan if you haven't noticed we're not exactly most people, especially here."  _We're a host club, we flirt with ladies, Tama-chan calls Kyo-chan the mom of our club... I could go on but that's more reasons than I have fingers. "_ We're not gonna be mad just because you have a bit of a potty mouth."

"Yeah." Mori agreed.  _We're all oddballs if I think about it._

To say Isane was surprised would be a considerable understatement but she kept it from showing on her face. "...Thanks." More commotion rang out.

"REVERT BACK! REVERT BACK NOW!" Tamaki screamed and the three of them turned to find him still in costume now shaking Haruhi back and forth like a rag doll.  _Daddy wants you to go back to being the girl you used to be and hanging out with your female friends!_ An image of Haruhi before she entered high school popped into Tamaki's head as he said this accompanied with sparkles and a feminine giggle that did not suit the girl in question at all. Isane could feel her eye twitching in irritation at the noise pollution. The Hitachiin twins seemed to have joined the fray as they were decked out in feudal clothes and topknots now too, trying to get the blonde to release Haruhi from his clutches.

"I think I'm gonna call it a day and go home. Thanks for the company. Can you tell Fujioka I left?" Isane told the seniors and packed up what was left of her snacks _. **I can share them with Kaa-san and Tou-san when they get home.**_

"Aww..." Honey pouted. "But I wanted to talk some more!"  _I want the recipe for those tea cakes too!_

"Mitsukuni, let her go home. Hours are over now too." Mori pointed out further increasing the dark blonde's pouting. Isane nodded thanking the tall host and went to fold up her blanket leaving the courtyard. As soon as she left Honey munched on leftover snacks that they had, though the mochi and little cakes seemed less flavorful compared to the sweets The tawny-haired girl brought with her.

"Do you think Koga-chan had fun?" He asked Mori who began putting aside the tea bowls and matcha.

"Yeah."The dark haired senior replied in his monosyllabic way.

"Oh wait!" Honey suddenly exclaimed and ran straight for Haruhi before hugging the unsuspecting girl. "Ne Haru-chan! When is your class having their physical exams? I wanna compare heights!"

As soon as he mentioned it, Tamaki and the twins seemed to freeze in a panic. Kyoya stopped writing and Mori stood near him watching the scene. Physical examinations meant records of weight and height, but it also meant that the boys had their chests measured. Without a curtain for that matter.

All eyes turned to Haruhi who put a hand to her mouth in thought. "That... Is going to be a problem"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I hope you enjoyed this halter as much as I enjoyed writing it! Next time the host club will have to deal with *gasp* physical exams! There is nothing more frightening than being poked by a doctor! I'm going to get started on the next chapter in a little bit! Stay tuned!


	6. Beware the physical exams!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Physical examinations come with more than a few problems for the Host Club and Isane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Despite Ouran Academy's reputation as a playground for the rich and beautiful, it's curriculum is nothing to sneeze at no matter the class. Although students may have a penchant for socializing during break hours, with the help of their private tutors they are able to make headway through the work that teachers put in front of them. However, if you are a scholarship student, you may find yourself working twice as hard as the others to stay ahead of the curve. One such example is currently running like the devil is at her heels.

Let's take a closer look shall we?

Haruhi ran through the halls of the north wing as fast as her legs could carry her. She found herself tucked away in one of the four libraries after school in an attempt to study though the chatter of surrounding students seemed never ending. It wasn't until she glanced at the clock on the wall that our cross dressing heroine realized she was ten minutes late for the host club. Now you may be asking yourself: Why the sudden rush? She has to keep her grades up. Surely the host club can be understanding of that.

However, remember that the host club is comprised of six other people: An overzealous blonde King, a pair of devilish twin menaces, a silent giant (not a bad thing), a Loli-shota who inhales cake like it's the end of the world (again not a bad thing but you have to wonder where he's putting all that cake), and lastly a shadow king hanging a massive debt over her head. Considering the last one, understand why she's running now?

A shiver raced down her spine at the thought.  _If this keeps up, Kyoya-senpai might raise my debt again..._  She ran faster.

As soon as she made it to the gilded doors of the third music room Haruhi paused to catch her breath before peeking into the room. "Sorry I'm late, I was at the library and-" She cut herself off when she saw the spectacle before her.

"Well, then we have decided on formation A for tomorrow's mission! Once more everyone confirm your position!" Tamaki announced.

The six rich boys were once again surrounding a large whiteboard only this time, written on it were the words

_Operation: Haruhi Is Manly So Expect Lacking Femininity (H.I.M.S.E.L.F)_

_"_ What... Did I just walk into?" Haruhi asked herself as she shut the door behind her.

Below the title were scribbles that seemed more like game plays one would see coaches use before and during a game. Tamaki suddenly grasped her hands and everything was surrounded by sparkling roses. "Don't worry Haruhi! We'll make sure no one finds out so please stay our beloved secret princess!" He became teary eyed although Haruhi couldn't understand why he was getting so worked up about it.

"I've never made it a secret though..." She began to crunch the numbers in her head. "Although I do see your point. If people figure out I'm a girl I won't be able to finish paying off my debt. Let's see I'm at 5,333,332 yen... I guess I'll just have to find another way to pay it off!" She finished with a slight laugh.

"Boss, she lacks the will big time!" Hikaru yelled in a panic. And what the heck was she laughing for anyway? If the rest of the school found out she was a girl she wouldn't be allowed in the Host Club anymore!

Tamaki grimaced. "What an uncooperative heroine... Are you saying that you really hate the host club that much!?"

"Technically speaking yes." Tamaki could feel another arrow hit him in the stomach. Haruhi was not one to pull punches. "It's not that I have anything against you guys per say, but there's not much I can do if it gets out you know?"

"Darn it... We need a way of ensuring that Haruhi will go with the plan quick!"

Surprisingly enough it was Mori who came up with the solution. "Fatty tuna..."

"Ah..." Haruhi couldn't come up with a response. Hey it was rare for the tall senior to speak! That and Haruhi couldn't help but bite the inside of her cheek in annoyance at the reminder that the Hosts put away the spread before she could actually try some at their Spring party.

She jumped when Hikaru and Kaoru stage whispered conspiringly to each other. "Did you hear? She's never had fatty tuna before!"

"That's right she didn't get to try it during chapter 4 did she? What a pity."

The female host immediately glared at the other six. "Hey just because I've never tried it doesn't mean I'll go with whatever hairbrained scheme you guys have cooked up! I'm not that much of a glutton."

The boys (sans Mori and Kyoya) merely grinned at her. Tamaki decided to hammer the final nail into the coffin. "Whoever doesn't cooperate doesn't deserve to eat fatty tuna! I'll personally make sure you never have a chance to taste it in the future!" The weight of his declaration made Haruhi feel as if she were sent spiraling into a black hole.

"...Will I get to eat some?" She relented after a moment of tense silence.

"She's in!"

* * *

*The day of the physical exam*

Isane felt a yawn coming on as she biked towards the gates of Ouran Academy that morning. "Why couldn't I just forward paperwork to the nurse's office..." She mumbled drowsily.

_*Flashback to Two Days Ago*_

_"Isane can you come into the sitting room? Your father and I need to talk to you about something." The girl in question could hear her mother calling from the dining room. She found her parents sitting on their cushions with a pot of tea and three cups on the table. The smell of matcha and the sight of Jun's homemade gingersnap cookies rang several alarms in her head. Matcha happened to be her go to flavor to drink, but the tea set that her parents were using happened to be their daughter's personal favorite. A cast iron tea pot colored jade green with bamboo etched into the surface and matching porcelain cups. Isane knew that her mother preferred her little Kyusu teapot while her father usually just steeped tea for himself using a mug and a plate to cover it. This was going to be one of those serious talks._

_'Isane just take a seat you're not in trouble.' Her father's thoughts reached out to her soothingly._

_"Did something happen?" Isane asked pouring a cup for herself and grabbed two cookies._

_"Not exactly." Her father began._

_"We got a call from the school earlier and they said that physical exams are beginning two days from now." Her mother picked up from where he left off. "They want you to come in the morning so that they can update your medical history." 'They were also talking about recommending you to a therapist but then we'd have to figure out how to keep you homeschooled. We may have to call Yukinosuke and get his opinion on this.'_

_"Can't we just have Dr. Hanamura fax the files to the nurse's office?" Isane couldn't help but ask as she munched on a cookie._

_Her father shook his head. "We asked and they said that they want to make an additional note regarding your 'anxiety issues'." He made air quotes causing his wife and daughter to snort in amusement. "The nurses want to add to the file in case you have an episode like last year." 'Although we know that's not going to happen again.'_

_"So I have to go in?" Isane wanted clarification. She wasn't much of an early riser but she'd need to force herself out of bed if she wanted to get the physicals over with._

_"Unfortunately."_

_*End of Flashback*_

She let out another yawn as she reached the gold gates. "So sleepy..." Isane mumbled once more as she walked up the path to the high school division. Because it was the middle of the week, the mind reader hadn't brought her backpack with her. She'd also opted to wear a pair of black knee length tights and tank top with the Survey Corps symbol printed on it. To protect her from the morning chill, a thick white zip up hoodie covered her lanky frame and was left open to reveal the shirt underneath. She'd opted to wear her black chucks that morning. All in all, she looked like a lazy teenager. Well technically speaking, she was to an extent.

"So the freshmen are going first and class C is headed for the nurse's office in the south part of the campus. Maybe I can nap in a bed until the second years are called down?" Another yawn left her lips. Just as she was about to walk to the south wing, something immediately caught her eye. Or rather, someone. Two people to be exact.

**What are Suoh and Otori doing out of class? The first years haven't even been called down yet. Did I come late?** The tawny haired girl immediately tossed that idea out.  **No that's not it... It's the same schedule that they had last year** _._ Curiosity getting the better of her, she slunk through the halls keeping her distance from the blonde and his dark haired cohort.

* * *

Isane's POV

You ever get that feeling that you bit off more than you could chew? Well I can tell you that saying is fit for the current situation that's going down in front of me. See, as soon as Suoh and Otori made it to the eastern part of the campus, Morinozuka and Haninozuka-senpai were waiting in front of that area's nurse office.

"Do we have everything ready?" Otori asked the two seniors.  _Their costumes aren't exactly vital to this but I suppose it will provide some entertainment at least. The real question is if we have the most important part._

Haninozuka-senpai let out one of his usual tittering giggles as he and Morinozuka-senpai pulled out a thin box from their respective school bags. Suoh on the other hand held a smaller but decidedly taller box, like a cube. "Takashi and I managed to grab our lab coats from the chemistry wing this morning and we thought some glasses would help too so we dropped by the drama department."  _Sorry Tama-chan but this is payback for that comment in the club room._ Say what now?

"Yeah." The tallest host grunted.  _This is for your own good Tamaki._ Oh boy... What did you do Suoh?

"The most important part of the plan is ready Kyoya." The blonde in question appeared quite proud as he held his box. "All that's left is the announcement."

As if the universe answered his call, the intercom speakers came to life crackling with static as a female voice spoke. Most likely the chairman's secretary. "Attention all students. We will now hold the physical examinations for the first year classes. We are very sorry to bother but all first years, please come down to your assigned nurse's offices so that the examinations may begin."

The sound of chatter could soon be heard from down the hall and the hosts quickly entered the gym. Now this is usually the part where I make myself scarce but considering what the hell it is these weirdos might be planning I might as well see it through to the end. I opened the door and snuck in behind a few curtains.

There are a few things you should know about how the physical exams here at Ouran work. Girls and boys are called down at the same time so as to speed up the time consuming process of checking each student. This is also because the nurse's offices are ridiculously huge. Girls get a curtain when it's time for measurements and boys are measured out in the open.

If you ask me that's just an excuse for girls to get eye candy... Bunch of perverts...

Anyway the exams, like in other schools, are also just a formality. It's just so the school nurses are able to update any information regarding student health and whether or not there are any conditions that need to be kept an eye on. However also add a dash of 'suck up' and 'sticker book smiles' and you get doctors and nurses who overly compliment students. It's really annoying. It's a rich school though so what're you going to do?

Doctors and nurses were lining up, taking their places by either side of the gilded doors to greet the incoming students. As soon as the doors opened they simultaneously bowed with a rehearsed cheerful "Welcome!" I couldn't help but snort when I saw Fujioka's face as she took in the scene. As a nurse took her aside I figured maybe it was time for me to try and sneak out but then my jaw dropped when I saw Haninozuka and Morinozuka-senpai. True to their word their were both wearing lab coats and round glasses. They were also terribly easy to notice. All around them, first year girls were wondering why they were cosplaying as doctors.

"Why are the two of them dressed as doctors?" I could hear Fujioka meaning that she hadn't walked that far off. _It's so obvious it's them that it's painful._

**_My sentiments exactly Fujioka_. ** I thought to myself.

Otori was quick to explain. "They're the emergency crew for when something happens."  _Honestly there wasn't any task we could give them regarding this plan so technically speaking they're actually useless at the moment._ "It makes this feel like a real espionage mission."

_"_ I see..." The brunette could only deadpan.  _Actually I don't._

"Damn... Harsh..." I couldn't help but feel bad for the seniors. Whatever it was the host club was planning they wanted to help but at the same time I couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was that caused them to want to get back at Suoh. Did he threaten them or something?

While I was contemplating this, the curtain was suddenly pushed back a little. "Koganegawa-senpai?" I nearly jumped two feet in the air seeing Fujioka.  ** _When the hell did she get here?!_**

"SHHH!" I covered her mouth and motioned for her to come over to where I was at. "You scared the shit out of me!" I hissed.

"I could say the same thing." She deadpanned at me. "What are you doing here anyway?"  _The second years have their exams afterward._

"I came for my exam and I was going to go to the southern part of the campus but then I saw Suoh and Otori meet up with Haninozuka-senpai and Morinozuka-senpai outside of here and I got suspicious." I explained. "What are they doing anyway?"

"Some kind of plan to keep my gender a secret. Kyoya-senpai is part of the school's health committee so I guess he managed to get the teacher to excuse Tamaki-senpai too. I don't exactly know what it is they're doing though." Fujioka explained even talking about the name of the operation the boys came up with.

"H.I.M.S.E.L.F? That's a little cheesy." (A/N: pay no attention to the author in the corner of shame)

"I suppose so. I guess I should at least try to avoid the nurses. Hikaru and Kaoru basically got undressed in public so I'm guessing the nurses want me to do the same." She explained.

"Wait a minute... Shouldn't the faculty and the chairman all have records on the students?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah why?"  _So?_ She couldn't see where I was going with this.

"Then that means they know your actual gender. Are they just going along with the whole cross-dressing fiasco?"  ** _The way they all seem to be playing along is just plain weird._**

"Ah... That just raises some more questions when you put it that way..." A moment of awkward silence stretched between us. "Maybe I should find Hikaru and Kaoru again."

"Yeah at this point I think I'll just sneak out and go to the other part of the campus." I don't want to get in trouble for being where I'm not supposed to be. With as much stealth as I could muster, I managed to sneak out of the room and went to jog towards the south wing.

Sometime later I found myself crossing towards the west wing. As I passed a few windows, I froze, seeing something out the corner of my eye, and ran back to the second to last window I had looked out of. Now being at Ouran since my first year, there are things that I've seen that I've had to get used to. Gossip of galas, over the top students, the works. What I was seeing right now however, was quickly topping that list.

I couldn't believe it. "Oh my god..." My blood was rushing to my feet and a chill ensnared my stomach in its icy grasp. Sliding on a concrete ledge was a man in a lab coat. He inched his way towards another window and quickly pried it open, slipping inside whatever room was there.

"OH SHIT!" My legs took off as I attempted to locate any security inside the halls but to no avail. "Come on, come on! Why the hell isn't there any security!? Where the hell is everyone!?"

"HELLO!? ANYONE!?" I kept yelling. Just as I made another turn it felt like I ran into a wall. A breathing... Clothed... Muscly... wall. I looked up to find Morinozuka-senpai looking down at me and he was most definitely surprised as well.

"Takashi come on we- KOGA-CHAN!?" Haninozuka-senpai cut himself off when he saw me. Both of them were dressed in their uniforms now. The rest of the host club appeared behind them with the twins and Suoh looking at me in shock.

"Koga-senpai?!"

"K-KOGANEGAWA-HIME?"

Otori regarded me coolly. "Koganegawa-san. This is certainly a surprise."  _As is her current state of dress. Why is she in the eastern campus though? Class C is over in the southern area._

"Not the time. Are there any security personnel around here? We have a doctor that went awol!" At the end of my sentence, the boys all looked at me in surprise which quickly became that of determination.

"What exactly did you see Koganegawa-hime?" Suoh asked. Uncaring about the suffix he added to my name, I quickly delved into what I saw when I passed the window.

"I think I know what classroom he went into." I thought outloud. "It's a teacher's office on the other side of the hallway here." Then I noticed someone missing. "Oi... Where's Fujioka?"

Five out of the six of them blanched and they all ran in the direction of the office I was talking about. "HARUHI!" Could be heard echoing down the hall.

**_Well this is going to be fun..._ **

* * *

*No one's POV*

With Isane silently trailing behind them, the six boys quickly made way for the special boys' clinic that Kyoya set up especially for Haruhi's physical exam. At once they found the perpetrator inside but the scene had them broiling with anger. The doctor's hands were tightly grasping their secret princess' shoulders. It was Honey who sprang into action.

"USA-CHAN KICK!" He yelled swiftly jumping and aiming a powerful kick to the doctor's face that sent him flying.

Haruhi just stood frozen flinching as the doctor hit the farthest wall.  _What on earth did I just witness..._ She couldn't help but think. She was brought out of her musings as she felt heavy fabric drape itself over her shoulders and turned her head to find it was a white sweater. Behind her, Isane was making sure the boys wouldn't see her camisole. It was slightly see-through and the older girl could almost make out the color brassiere the younger was wearing.

"Sorry about that Fujioka. It seems a quack somehow got into the building. You alright though? Did he do anything?" Isane asked a few questions as she checked her over. Haruhi shook her head in response but before she could voice her assurance, she was cut off by the twins.

"One: The beauty that attract's people's attention." Hikaru and Kaoru stepped in, hiding the two of them from view.

"Two: More wealth than you could ever imagine." In the shadows of the room, Kyoya seemed to have materialized from the very darkness itself. His glasses glinted dangerously, expression hard to read with the opaque lenses.

"Three: The way to be a gentleman" Mori's deep voice echoed

"Not being able to look over ugly commoners' crimes." Honey finished, expression unreadable as he stood with his back to the other hosts and Isane. Based on the terrified expression on the shoddy man's face though, one could tell it was probably menacing.

Isane felt something cover her shoulders and found an Oxford shirt draped upon them like a cape. "Even if the sun forgives you," Tamaki stated walking towards the man. "These cherry blossoms won't! We the Ouran host club are here!" The five boys surrounded him.

"I think I really do need to see the school shrink." Isane deadpanned as Tamaki tried to look menacing. He even had a traditional style sticker tattoo of cherry blossoms running along the length of his shoulder and upper arm. "It's always random flowers whenever I see these guys."

"Oh believe me senpai, if I knew where they kept coming from I'd tell you." Haruhi piped up.  _I thought I was going crazy too._

_**Well at least I know I'm not losing my mind... Yet.**  _Isane thought with a sigh as she and Haruhi watched the Doctor fall to his knees begging for mercy.

"My name is Yabu and I run a small clinic in the next town over. I wanted to see my daughter who left with my wife last month because of my bad hospital management." He explained after he managed to calm down.

As the twins began to poke fun at his name (Yabu means phoney or quack) images flashed through his mind as Isane saw exactly why it was that both wife and daughter left him.

* _Beginning of memory_ *

_"AN IOU AGAIN!?" A woman screamed at the Doctor. The house they were in was in a rather sorry state. Barren with only the slightest hint that it was inhabited based on the appliances in the kitchen and a few pictures hiding the cracks in the walls. The woman herself was pretty with dark brown hair and equally dark sharp eyes. However the dark circles around her eyes gave her a much older appearance and there was a tiredness about her as if she had the very weight of the world upon her shoulders._

_"I really trust this guy sweetheart. He'll be able to pay me back by the end of the month." Yabu tried to calm the irate woman who turned out to be his wife._

_"We have bills to pay Sanosuke! We need food! We were barely able to pay last month's electric bill! You can't just keep accepting IOUs and expecting things to be okay!" Her voice cracked It had not been the first time this had happened and unfortunately it did not seem as though it would be the last time._

_"Otou-san... Do you not love us anymore?" A small voice piped up from the hallway. A girl wearing a high school uniform glared daggers at the Doctor. She had his lighter hair but the same eyes and eye color as her mother. "You keep saying that things are going to get better but it never does!" Her voice became louder and tears began to leak from her eyes. "You don't even look like you care that we won't have electricity, food or water, or gas... Would you even care if we lost the house!?" It became full blown screaming._

_*End of memory*_

"I know I'm bad at managing finances and they got sick of living in debt so they went to live with my mother in law. Then it began to rain and when I came here they thought I was one of their staff and I was brought here! Then when I went to ask to my daughter I was suddenly labeled a pervert!" He cried out pathetically. Tamaki wept along with him.

"How tragic!" He sniffed.

"Is it really though?" Isane couldn't help but mutter outloud.

"...Excuse me?" The Doctor piped up looking over at her.  _Did she say something?_

She decided to continue feeling a bit angry at the Doctor herself.  ** _For goodness sake it's not because of his hospital management._** "Is it really tragic that your family left you? They probably thought that you didn't care about them anymore. How many times did you let people use you and forget to have them pay for your services?" A 'tsk' escaped her lips as the Doctor flinched. "Too many times to count huh... I can see why they left... You never changed even though they needed you too. They didn't leave because you were bad at managing money. They left because you were blind to how it affected them."

Everyone gaped at her silently when she finished.

_Koga-chan.../Koganegawa-senpai.../Koga-senpai..._ Haruhi, the twins, and Honey all thought internally surprised at her sharp tongue.

It was Kyoya who broke the silent spell. "By any chance are you looking for Ourin Public High school?"  _A new note to put in Koganegawa-san's profile: Despite having social anxiety, she seems to have quite the sharp tongue and temperament._

For a moment the hosts and Isane had a staring contest with the Doctor. "...Isn't this Ourin Koukou?"

A slap against skin and a loud groan had everyone present turning to see Isane with a hand against her forehead and an annoyed grimace on her face. "That's the next town over..."

* * *

"Hey boss?" Hikaru couldn't help but speak up as they watched the Doctor leave the school grounds from their place in the office. After the entire debacle, Tamaki had Kyoya drew out directions to the school the man was searching for. Not without the shadow king explaining that the daughter of a poor Doctor couldn't have possibly been able to attend. "Do you really think it was okay to give him those directions?"

Kaoru hummed in agreement. "She probably won't want to see him."

"He'll just have to find out for himself." The blonde host replied sagely.

"Not to interrupt the moment and all but can I ask how long it took you guys to come up with that little act you put on? Somehow I feel like you copied Sailor Moon and the Power Rangers." Isane piped up.

For a moment the room felt as if the temperature had dropped. The twins and Tamaki turned their heads in an almost robotic fashion and once their gazes landed on the copper-eyed girl they froze.  ** _3... 2... 1..._**

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

"KOGANEGAWA-HIME IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"  _I completely forgot she was in the room!_

_"_ Boss what do we do!?" Kaoru yelled in a panic as Isane merely looked on, bemused expression on her face.

"We'll have to induce amnesia!" Hikaru threw out the idea causing a few of the hosts to give him horrified looks.

"Hikaru we're not going to assault Koganegawa-hime! Have you lost your mind?!" Tamaki screamed at him and shook the ginger back and forth.

**_Suoh I'm pretty sure you all have at this point..._ **

"Guys calm down!" Haruhi got their attention finally having enough of their screaming fest. "Koganegawa-senpai already knew!"

"..."

"WHAT!?" This time Honey joined in the shock. Mori merely blinked while understanding dawned on Kyoya's face.

"I suppose if she'd known on the first day then it would make sense why you were so comfortable around each other the week before the Spring gala." He thought out loud.

"Koga-chan you really knew the whole time?" Honey tugged on the end of her tank top.  _I can't tell if I'm relieved or exhausted at this point._ He thought with a tired tone.  _Good thing there's no host club today. I'm going to have some cake and take a loooong nap after this._

"Since the first day of school." Isane nodded. "By the way no one answered my question. How long did it take you all to perfect that little act of yours?" Mischief and teasing danced in her eyes as Honey suddenly flushed a rosy red.

_Tama-chan..._  He groaned internally. _Why... Of all the things she could've asked it had to be that?! Why couldn't it have been about that sticker Tama-chan stuck on himself! Actually wait... I have no idea why he did that either... Ugh..._ "Tama-chan was a little obsessed with Sailor Moon and Power Rangers for a while so he had us practice that for a few weeks until we got it down packed." He smiled through it though Isane could tell he was forcing it to hide the amount of sheer embarrassment radiating off of him. Images of what exactly transpired zipped through his mind leaving Isane to try and force her laughter down.

"Y'know I'm surprised you didn't say anything when Haruhi joined the club Koganegawa-senpai." Hikaru spoke to her.

Isane shrugged taking the Oxford shirt off her shoulders and tossed to the still shell shocked king. "It wasn't really my place to say anything. Besides, I didn't realize she was a part of it until that whole tropical fiasco." From his spot, Tamaki flinched remembering the disaster.

"While I hate to spoil the mood, we do have to address a new problem. Seeing as Koganegawa-san knew the secret beforehand, how do we know that you will continue to keep that way?"  _While there isn't much merit in associating with Miss Koganegawa herself, her grandmother is rather influential as is her father. Perhaps it wouldn't be too troublesome to keep an eye on her. After all, Tamaki seemed dead set on finding a way to get her out of her shell._

**Try not to punch him... Don't punch him Isane...**  The girl in question fumed silently to herself as Kyoya's thoughts penetrated her mind. Once again she was reminded why exactly it was she disliked him out of the entire bunch. He was always scheming on how people could merit him in some way. There was no way she was letting him near any of her family members.

_**One of these days it is going to come back and bite you in the ass. Mark my words Otori.**  _"Excuse me for wanting to have one friend here that isn't obsessed over their looks and money Otori." She practically snarled through her teeth surprising the rest of the members. Usually people grew uncomfortable knowing the power the Otori family held. Heck they even had their own private police force. On one hand, you could sense slight discomfort coming from the tawny-haired girl. On the other hand, one could also see the mounting irritation radiating from her very being. It was obvious to the rest of the hosts at this point that Kyoya just plain pissed her off.

She gently removed her hoodie from Haruhi and put it back on. "Just because you and everyone else here are only friends for merit doesn't mean that I'm like you. You want me to keep Haruhi being a girl a secret? Newsflash: I never intended on telling anyone at this damn school. Who the heck would I want to tell anyway? Everyone is just an arrogant prick thinking about the money in their pockets and almost nothing else. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got an exam to get to and then I'm getting the hell out of here."

The hosts could only watch as she stomped out.

"Sheesh... Who knew Koga-senpai had a dirty mouth?" Hikaru muttered scratching the back of his head.

"That was pretty upsetting though Kyoya-senpai. If Koganegawa-senpai didn't tell anyone then, why would she tell now?" Haruhi spoke up. "In the meantime, can you all get out?"

"Wait Haruhi!" Tamaki snapped out of his stupor. "You're not planning on leaving the club are you? Was I too scary? I promise it was all an act! See? This is actually just a sticker I'm wearing!" He gestured wildly to the fake tattoo on his shoulder.

The brunette sighed but gave him an amused smile. "I've got to complete my physical exam you know... As a male student. I'm not doing this for the fatty tuna by the way." She added.

Awed by her cute behavior Tamaki immediately went to hug her causing squeaks of protest to erupt from the petite girl as she was still wearing her camisole. While the twins began to yank the blonde off of her, Honey couldn't help but gaze at the doors where Isane left in a fit of anger. "Hey Kyo-chan? Can you pull up some information for me?"

* * *

***** The Koganegawa Household: 4:00 p.m.*

"Why the hell did I go and open my mouth..." Isane moaned in distress as she lay on her futon, homework laying forgotten on her desk. She'd been thinking over her words to Otori earlier that day and knew that things could have gone better had she kept her lack of filter in check.

**_At least Yuki-nii managed to convince them to keep me homeschooled._** She was pulled from her pity party as her phone began to buzz. Thinking it was Takuya or Kiraz, Isane unlocked her phone only to find it wasn't either of her friends but a text from a new number. It read:

_XXX-XXX-XXXX_

_-Hi Koga-chan! This is Honey from school! I got your number from Kyo-chan. I hope you're not mad about that but I wanted to say sorry for what Kyo-chan said. We like having Haru-chan in the host club despite her debt and we just didn't want her to have to leave. We're not going to force you to join or anything. Haru-chan trusts you and I do too! Anyway I hope this won't stop us from being friends._

Isane blinked. On one hand she was creeped out and concerned that Kyoya even had access to school records. On the other hand, she was touched that Honey had gone out of his way to apologize for the other's actions. She could see why they wanted to keep the secret to themselves. Tamaki was definitely protective of Haruhi (whether it was platonic or romantic remained to be seen). The rest seemed to like the young girl's presence as well.

_-Hello Haninozuka-senpai. I'm not mad as much as I am concerned and a little scared that Otori is able to access student records like that. You don't have to apologize for him. I know what I said was probably harsh but I don't regret it nor will I take it back. I kept Fujioka's gender a secret because she explained the situation to me and because she is my friend. Nothing else. If Otori truly wants to apologize for attempting to back me into a corner then I would rather hear it from him myself and that he actually mean it._

A few moments after she sent him the text he sent what appeared to be a video. Curious, Isane tapped on the screen. The video showed the nurse's office and Honey's giggling echoed in the background. The camera turned revealing the petite senior to be holding it. He was in his doctor disguise, glasses threatening to slip off his face. In place of his normal cutesy smile was a grin dripping with mischief.

_"Mitsukuni hush."_ Mori spoke up trying to quiet the other.  _"You'll give us away."_

_"Ok Takashi just let me do something really quick."_ He faced the camera once more.  _"So Tama-chan has a huge crush on Haru-chan though he can't seem to see it yet."_ He spoke in a fond but exasperated tone. " _Anyway, we think he was daydreaming about her the other day because he started talking about how we were in a manga and he and Haru-chan were love interests. He called the rest of us the Homosexual supporting cast and we didn't take very kindly to it. Luckily for us, Hika-chan and Kao-chan can up with a little prank as payback. Sorry Tama-chan but this is revenge... And maybe a way for you to come back to reality for a bit."_

The camera panned out to one of the changing stalls where a horde of girls were crowding around like fans at a concert. A nurse stood in front of the curtain. " _Mr. Fujioka are you ready to come out?"_ The curtain was yanked back and a figure walked from the stall, only it wasn't exactly who everyone expected.

Isane snorted as Tamaki walked out with shirt open and a brown wig on top of his head.  _"Haruhi Fujioka here."_ The room was eerily quiet for a moment before the nurse spoke up, her voice heavy with sarcasm. _"My, my Mr. Fujioka. It seems you grew to an extraordinary height in a span of five minutes."_ Everyone in the room lost it as Tamaki threw the wig down and ran to strangle the twins for their trickery.

"PFFFT!" Isane burst into laughter, hand covering her mouth trying to smother it.

* * *

*Honey's POV*

"She liked the video!" A long nap and some cake really did help at the end of the day. Especially since I had to help train some recruits at one of the family dojos today. By the time I got back I just plopped onto my bed with Usa-chan.

I felt pretty bad that Koga-chan left in a sour mood earlier though. Sometimes Kyo-chan doesn't think about how some people will react when they're backed into a corner. I get why he was doing it though. Kyo-chan may look like he's all about trying to get to the top but he takes everyone's best interests into account. Sometimes I can't help but think he's scatterbrained though. That was a convenient time to forget that there was a weirdo among the staff...

"At least she isn't mad anymore." I'm actually glad that she knew Haru-chan's secret. It was a little more difficult to convince Tama-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan but Takashi, Haru-chan and I managed. I think we just have to worry about her and Kyo-chan but that's another problem for another day. At least now I feel like I'm not going to slip up around her. It's easy to keep quiet around the guests but Koga-chan seems pretty perceptive. Those eyes of hers make you feel like she can see everything. It's a little disconcerting.

"I wonder if that means we'll be seeing her more often..."

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (still in the corner of shame) Ok you have no idea how hard it was coming up with an acronym for that whole plan that the hosts came up with! I was going to try for HIMALAYA or something silly but no dice. Hopefully the chapter was worth the wait though. I also just want to say that I'm not trying to bash Kyoya here. I'm actually taking it into the perspective of someone who isn't used to the zaniness of the host club or the world of the rich. The one thing that you have understand about Isane is that she doesn't like Ouran because she can see what the student populace thinks of most of the time. All the times that she's been around Kyoya she has seen the manipulative side of his character and this, coupled along with his host characterization that he shows to the female students, irritates her because he is technically everything that she is against in the rich world. It will improve though it's going to be slow.


	7. Beware the Female Manager (and Otaku) Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isane may have accidentally brought some chaos to the host club instead of the other way around this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note:  
> Italics with single quotation marks- thoughts of others  
> Bold Italics- Isane's thoughts

Another week had passed since what Isane now dubbed the 'exam incident'. Frankly she was considering sending someone else to bring her homework to school in fear that Kyoya was somehow going to get her arrested for her smack talk. She'd seen classmates get the short end of the proverbial stick but for less and no one had ever had the mind to back talk them to their faces. Especially someone like Kyoya whose social standing was higher than hers. However it wouldn't be fair to any of the help that her family hired to have more duties piled up so she had to suck it up.

"Jun-nii better save some of that cake he was planning to make." _**Chocolate souffle roll with coffee ganache... Ah man my mouth is**_ ** _watering._..** She rubbed the sleeve of her gray sweater against her face to make sure she wasn't drooling. Isane donned a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and black chucks for the day. Her backpack thumped against her back as she walked to the school's main entrance.

As per usual it was on a Friday that Isane came after school to drop off her work for the week. However, this time she'd also been spotted on Tuesday due to a History test and Math test she needed to take in person. Her presence in the school during the week caused quite a few stares from her classmates who quickly turned away whenever she caught them. Luckily for her though, she took tests in a quiet room with a teacher present. Less minds to bother her. It was also during this week that some of the hosts kept giving her glances in the halls as if trying to pick her apart like a puzzle to solve. Tamaki was the worst of them, trying and failing to sneak around like he was a ninja.

_*Flashback*_

_"Suoh you know I can see you right?" Isane's flat tone startled the blonde from his hiding place from behind the wall. A few students were giving him odd stares although this was mainly from the boys. A few girls giggled at his behavior, they're minds rambling on about how cute he was acting in their eyes._

_"K-Koganegawa-hime!" He yelped but then went into his 'princely' pose and chuckled. "I wasn't hiding my dear. I was merely looking for something I dropped" He threaded a hand through his hair with a confident smile. 'Excellent save Tamaki. You can pat yourself on the back later!' He thought._

_Isane simply raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What exactly did you drop that had you peeking from behind the wall like a weirdo?" **Besides your sanity...**_

_Tamaki froze up. "Uh..."_

_Isane left not feeling up to hearing a response._

_*End of flashback*_

Haruhi came forward and apologized for Kyoya's actions during the physical exam period but Isane waved it off. Honey had already done so though as she had told him no one else had to apologize for Kyoya. Besides, she would not take back what she had told them all. From what she garnered off of Kyoya's thoughts, it was time someone had knocked him off that pedestal.

"Chocolate and coffee oh so good~ Have them everyday if I could~" Isane hummed a silly tune to herself as she kept thinking about the cake she'd get to eat at home. She almost didn't catch the thought of someone in the same hall.

_'Ah! Kao-chan was right! There she is!'_ Isane froze. _**That sounded a lot like Haninozuka-senpai...**_

Isane turned around only to feel a pair of large hands grab her waist and lift her into the air. "Target cap-" A low voice spoke only to be met with a fist to the face.

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME YA CREEP!" The tawny-haired teen screeched as she was released. She was about to run for it but paused when she saw who it was.

Mori cradled his chin as it began turning purple and swelled. "Ow..." ' _Note to self, don't that again. Koganegawa_ _has a mean swing.'_

"...Morinozuka-senpai..." She said after the two stared for a while. "...In what universe is it okay to grab someone like a kidnapper...?"

"Sorry..." She huffed at the flat monotone of his voice. _**Excellent use of vocabulary as always Wordsworth.**_ She thought.

"Takashi!" Honey's voice echoed in the hallway. _**There he is**_. "Did you find Ko-" The petite senior stopped short when he saw the bruising on Mori's face.

"Uh... What happened?" ' _I haven't seen a bruise on Takashi's face like that since Satoshi accidentally whacked him with a shinai that one time! This isn't nearly as bad as that but he couldn't feel his cheek for a week...'_

Isane held back a wince as an image of a young Mori with a massive bruise on his cheek popped into Honey's head. _**Ow... That happened with a shinai?**_ "Morinozuka-senpai scared me out of my wits and my reaction was to hit him as hard as I could. Sorry senpai." She apologized to the tall senior.

"It's fine..." ' _Hopefully we have an ice pack in the club room. No doubt Tamaki is going to go into a full blown panic.'_

_"_ We have ice in the club room Takashi. Anyway, Koga-chan we need your help with something!" The tiny blonde quickly reached for her hand and began to drag her towards the opposite hall to the stairwell. ' _Otherwise we can't open the club and Kyo-chan will get mad! Besides, no host club means no cake!'_

"Whoa Haninozuka-senpai hold on! What for?!" Isane yelped as he tugged. For someone so small he had one hell of a grip! Mori followed behind the two of them matching their pace.

As soon as they made it to the third music room door Honey let go. "All right I demand to know what's going on." Isane stated firmly glaring at the two of them. "I am not moving until then."

Honey merely grinned. "We're having a traditional theme today!" He declared tossing Usa-chan into the air before catching it again. "We're gonna wear kimonos and there's going to be mochi and tea cakes! ' _I wonder if everyone is in costume yet?'_

Isane was not impressed. "Okay that sounds like a real shindig and all but that doesn't explain why you needed to drag my ass all the way here." _**Seriously I know I mind him and Morinozuka the least but this is ridiculous.**_

Honey's grin turned sheepish. "Actually we have a problem with Haru-chan's costume. The obi that came with it is too long. She won't let Hika-chan or Kao-chan help her either and Kao-chan thought that maybe you'd give her a hand if you were here. Please?" ' _Please say yes or else we're going to have a problem.'_

Copper eyes gave him a dry look before Isane finally relented. "Fine." _**Although why they would give her a complex kimono is beyond me. Simplicity can be elegant too you know.**_

Honey beamed and Mori nodded. The doors opened but thankfully there were no petals flying out to choke her.

The first to notice their return was Tamaki. "Ah Mori-senpai Honey-senpai! Were you able to find- GAH! Mori-senpai what happened!?" He screamed as he saw the tall senior's face. ' _Did someone from D class pick a fight with him!?'_

"An accident. My bad..." He merely replied before walking towards the back where Isane assumed they had a fridge with ice. They had to keep the cakes somewhere right?

"I'm here too." Isane waved sarcastically. "What's this about Fujioka and a kimono?"

"Oh so they did find Koga-senpai. Haruhi's in the changing room." Hikaru motioned to another part of the room without looking at her. ' _Maybe now we'll finally get somewhere. It's not like we couldn't have helped Haruhi ourselves but she didn't want it.'_

**_Probably because that's scandalous._** _"_ Thanks."

* * *

Isane's POV

Not a bad set up from what I see. They have cushions and low tables set up instead of the love seats. Dividers made of rice paper are around to separate each table to give the illusion of separate rooms. Each section had an elevated floor of tatami mats. Instead of the usual roses they have everywhere, the room is filled with tasteful ikebana arrangements. It reminded me of the moving backdrops that playhouses used. I feel strangely at home for some reason.

In the furthest reaches of the room, I noticed that they do in fact have a changing area back here. A small space with a white curtain for privacy.

"Hey Fujioka are you in here?" The curtain pulled away to reveal a surprised girl wearing a jade green kosode with a lighter leaf design. She held it together with her hand.

"Koganegawa-senpai? Why are you here?" She asked as she let me into the changing room. The obi in question was meant for someone taller and wider than Fujioka. If the obi were looped around her torso it would just look bulky under the haori. Luckily though, I knew how to remedy it. When Ryuu-nii and Yuki-nii were younger they had a tendency of mixing up each other's kimonos and I figured out how to tie up a long obi from watching them.

"Haninozuka-senpai said that you needed some help putting it on so here I am. I'll show you how to fold the obi so that it doesn't stick from the haori as much." With that I commenced folding and tucking the obi in so that it wouldn't bulge.

"Thanks. Apparently there was a mix up with another order from the company the twins' mother owns." _'They were pretty annoyed with it and I feel bad for whoever was packing it.'_   She explained as I helped knot things in place and fix the front so that it was snug. It didn't take much time and soon she had a lavender haori decorated with pink carnations over the kimono.

"Hey senpai I'm sorry but do you think you could just help me with this for a second? I don't know how they expect me to wear this in my hair." ' _Mine's too short for this.'_ Fujioka held a red hair ornament in the shape of a four petaled flower attached to a light green ribbon. I could see what she meant. It had two little prongs meant to be slid into the hair but since hers was boy short we were going to need to improvise.

I stuck my head from the curtain and hollered. "Hey! Does anyone have some bobby pins?" A few moments later, one of the twins walked in. He was wearing a dark blue kimono patterned with colorful flowers and a lighter blue obi. The front was opened into a 'v' to show some of his chest and he wore two long sea green accessories pinned to the side of his head. No doubt his brother was wearing the same identical thing. _**I guess they have a separate changing room.**_

"Here Koga-senpai. There might not be that many left. We're trying to get the boss's extensions to stay attached to his head." ' _They're a pain in the ass to put on him and he won't stop squirming.'_ He thought with annoyance as he left. As if to prove it correct, Suoh could be heard yelping and someone else exclaimed 'Don't be a baby'.

With the bobby pins in my possession I began gathering some of the locks at the side of Fujioka's head and pinned them down as neatly as possible. Sliding the ornament in her hair turned out to be a bit more difficult but we managed and she was finally ready.

"Thanks again senpai." Fujioka smiled.

"Don't mention it." I shrugged and we left the changing room to find the other hosts already in costume.

I was correct about the twins wearing the same outfit. Suoh was wearing a black kimono with golden embellishment under a haori that transitioned from yellow to orange with white camellias. He did in fact wear extensions that were tied into a low ponytail with a purple ribbon. Otori simply wore a black kimono with yellow-brown embellishment and a yellow obi. He was sitting on one of the cushions and... is he writing in a scroll? Based on the calligraphy set next to him I'm guessing that's a yes.

"Koga-chan!" Haninozuka-senpai yelled and I felt weight behind me and two arms wrap themselves around my waist. I couldn't help but flinch at the contact. Listen he may look like a little kid but may I remind you that he's actually eighteen? See why this is awkward? ' _Koga-chan is so warm! It's really nice!'_

_**The fact that he's a baby-faced teenager just makes this so much more weird.**_ "Haninozuka-senpai please get off of me." I said as level as possible. The two arms quickly released their hold on me and I turned around to see the petite senior with an apologetic expression. He was currently adorned in a green kimono himself with darker embellishments that reminded me of lanterns. He finished the look with a navy blue obi and a rose colored haori with yellow daisies. Both and he and the twins wore straw sandals on their feet while the others wore tabi and geta.

"Sorry Koga-chan I didn't mean to startle you. Do you like my kimono? I think it looks super cute!" ' _The ladies won't know what hit them!'_ His thoughts belied his cutesy smile. Like a said 'little sneak'. Isn't there a saying 'If you've got it, flaunt it'?

"It's cute. Although, you might want to watch your back." At his inquisitive stare I teased somewhat. "One of your customers just might snatch you up to have to herself." **_The problem with that is I can just picture it happening._** It wasn't just me imagining it. Morinozuka-senpai paled just the slightest bit and edged closer to the tiny blonde. He had changed into a periwinkle blue kimono tied with a red obi. Thankfully that bruising I gave him went down though he probably hid what's left of it with makeup.

_'Not happening... Definitely not happening on my watch.'_ He thought to himself as he hovered over the other.

"Ne, Koga-chan! Do you want to stay at the club for a bit? You don't have to sit down with anyone again if you don't want to!" Haninozuka pleaded tugging on the end of my sleeve with one hand. ' _Although I'm not sure our customers will appreciate Koga-chan's sense of humor like Takashi and I do. And Koga-chan might not want to be in here...'_ I stopped him before his thoughts could go into another tangent.

"No offense senpai but your club isn't exactly what I'd call my scene preference. Besides, and again I don't mean to offend anyone, I'm not paying 5,000 yen just to sit with someone." _**It's a waste of my time and my money but I'm not telling them that. Besides, cake waiting at home. Cannot miss.**_

"Actually they pay 50,000 yen." The twin with the deeper voice, Hikaru if I'm not mistaken, piped up matter of factly. ' _Sometimes they pay more if they want to go past the standard amount of time.'_

Fujioka blinked. "Wait they actually pay that much to sit with us? That's news to me." ' _Why would anyone want to pay that much just to sit with someone for twenty minutes?'_

**_Don't ask me I'm just a witness._ ** "In any case I actually do need to go home so I'll just let myself out."

Just as I was about to step out, Suoh decided to open his mouth. "Ah, Koganegawa-hime let me show you out." ' _There's something I need to ask her anyway.'_

Well this is new. Suoh usually tries to stay out of my way. _**What would he want to ask me of all people?**_

As I made my way out the door he asked "Can I just ask you a question?"

"You already did but go ahead and ask another one Suoh." I ended up snarking. I can't help it. At this point snark is basically just a reflex for me.

"Did you really mean what you said during the physical exams?" ' _I know she said she wouldn't mention Haruhi's secret but I just want to make sure. I... we like having her in the club...'_

A sigh left my lips. "Listen up and listen well Suoh because I'm not going to repeat myself again. I squared up and looked him dead in the eye. "One. I don't and will never want to willingly associate with anyone at this school. Bragging about money and social standing isn't my cup of tea and neither is looking down on others. Two, I meant every word. Fujioka's secret is hers and no one else's. If there's a time where she wants it out of the open then it will be on her terms. Not mine. I'm not going to apologize for what I said either. You can tell Otori that one day, blackmail will come back to bite him in the ass. I'm not going to let him bully me into a corner."

I turned around and headed back towards the stairs not up to listening to whatever thoughts popped into his head.

* * *

*No One's POV*

Isane was just about to make it down the stairwell when she saw a girl sitting at the bottom of the stairs. _I was sure it was down the hall. Maybe I got the directions mixed up?_

_**A new student?**_ Isane thought as she made her way down the stairs. "Hey are you lost?" The girl jumped up startled and turned her head. She was fair-skinned with dark blonde hair and her bangs parted down the middle. A pink bow sat on top of her head and she wore the girls' uniform.

"Oh! You scared me. Um... yes I am actually lost. I don't suppose you know where I could find the Host Club? Some girls told me it was in the northern corridor but I didn't find it." ' _What's with the commoner get up? '_

Isane's eye twitched in irritation but she held her tongue. "It's in the north corridor on the second floor. Go up the stairs and make a right. There's a sign that says third music room."

"Thank you~" The girl smiled and waltzed up the stairs. ' _Just wait for me my love~'._

"Sheesh..." Isane ran a hand through her bangs. "I'm getting out of here before I run into anyone else." _**Stupid curse...**_

* * *

As soon as she entered the house, the scent of chocolate and coffee hit her like a freight train. "Jun-nii?" She called out.

"In the kitchen!" Isane padded in and was met with the sight of her brother washing dishes. A large mixing bowl sat on the island in the middle of the kitchen filled with light brown cream. Next to it, a tray containing a chocolate cake roll topped with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and the same filling inside. It was surrounded by raspberries and strawberry halves as well as a dash of whipped cream on the side. Isane could feel her mouth watering in anticipation. It looked absolutely divine.

Jun chuckled at her expression. "Get a plate and serve yourself a slice. Just one though! I need everyone in the house to try it." He added. ' _I know Jii-san is gonna attempt to get seconds. He loves chocolate more than anyone in the house!'_

"Good thing you didn't make anything with blackberries then. Ryuu-nii swiped that entire tart you made that one time." Isane commented upon hearing his thought. Jun groaned in response.

"Don't remind me. That was for my boss to try. Ryuu-nii isn't here though so he can't swipe shit from me. Hah!" ' _Grab a spoon if you're going to taste the filling. No fingers!'_

She grabbed one knowing he would pitch a fit. Isane managed to get a decently sized glob and stuck it in her mouth. She tasted slight sweetness first, followed by the strong taste of coffee and a hint of vanilla. "The filling tastes amazing!" She hummed.

"Good to know I got it right. I over mixed it the first time and ended up churning coffee butter." Jun commented causing his sister to giggle. "Did you serve yourself a slice yet?" ' _Hop to it!'_

"About to now keep your shirt on." She picked up the first slice using her fork and fingers and helped herself to a glob of whipped cream and some fruit. She tasted chocolate first and then the coffee mixed to make a bittersweet flavor. When she had it with the fruit, the tartness only enhanced the flavor of the cake.

"If this isn't on the menu at the bakery now, get it on there." She moaned going in for another bite. _**Heaven in my mouth~**_

Jun laughed and took a slice himself. "You'll be glad to know that it actually is then. I got the okay from the manager this morning for one with a raspberry cream filling. I just wanted to see how coffee filling would taste with it."

Isane was about to speak again when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She picked it up thinking it was Takuya or Kiraz calling.

"Moshi Moshi."

"KOGANEGAWA-HIME HOW COULD YOU?!" Tamaki screamed through the speaker. Isane yelped holding her ear in pain as she kept her phone a good distance away. Jun nearly knocked the cake over as he jumped. Thankfully the dessert survived. Tamaki continued to rant. An argument broke on the other side of the phone and scuffling could be heard.

"What the fucking hell was that?!" Jun all but yelled. Isane was thankful it was just the two of them inside the house and not the rest of the family. _**Scream louder Suoh I don't think my grandfather heard you from the forge**_ **.** She quipped in her mind.

Finally, someone spoke in a normal volume. "Koga-chan are you still there?" Honey spoke uncertain. Isane looked at the caller I.D. on her phone. Sure enough, it was Honey who had called.

"ugh... Yes I'm still here senpai. Why is Suoh shouting like a mad man? Shit that hurts." _**Nearly busted my eardrum!**_

_'No kidding.'_ She heard Jun's thoughts. "Who's calling you?"

"A senpai from school." Isane explained as Honey spoke again.

"Hold on I'm putting you on speaker." The senior said and then she heard the rest of the hosts talking amongst themselves. She did the same so that she could still eat.

"Try not to yell this time. I've got my brother in the room with me." Isane hissed cradling her ear

"Oh! Is that the brother that made those tea cakes? Can I have the recipe please? They're almost better than the ones the cooks at home make!"

Jun blinked unsure how to respond. "Uh... sure? I think it's just the standard recipe? I use a sifter to make it airy though." He rubbed the back of his head. ' _Is that a kid on the other line?'_

"Hey Koga-senpai did you run into any weirdos when you left the club room? We had a girl come in telling us you gave her directions." Kaoru asked.

_**Aside from you people?**_ "Yeah I did but I don't think that normally constitutes as 'weird'. Why?" She was completely baffled.

"She's an otaku!"

"She's absolutely bonkers!"

"Do you know what Uki Doki Memorial is?!"

Tamaki and the twins were rambling though Isane could only pick up bits and pieces of what they were saying. "Oi! One at a time! I can barely hear what you're saying. What?"

"Maybe we should just start from the top." Haruhi suggested.

"Please do. I'm here and I know that this doesn't make any sense." Jun asked. ' _Imouto what the heck is going on at that school?'_

"Don't ask Jun-nii I have no idea anymore." She mumbled popping another chunk of cake into her mouth. This was going to be a long phone call.

_*Flashback*_

_As the host club was getting into full swing, Haruhi saw something in the door way from the corner of her eye. A girl peeked from the doorway shyly and made no attempt to step in the room. The other hosts followed her line of sight and it was the twins who decided to approach her first._

_"Seems the host club has a new guest." They spoke in unison._

_Hikaru offered her a light blue rose. "Watching from afar is no fun."_

_Kaoru offered her an orange rose next. "Why don't you come in and join us? There's no need to be shy."_

_"Please miss?" They spoke together once more though this only proved to make her more nervous._

_Tamaki quickly put a stop to it. "How many times have I told you two to be more courteous to our first time guests." Then he decided to be the next to attempt. "Please, there's no need to fear my princess." He tilted her chin and moved his face closer. He could see her cheeks turning a delicate pink. "I welcome you to the Ouran Host Club."_

_The girl attempted to speak though no sound seemed to want to come out of her mouth._

_"Yes?" He encouraged._

_What none of them expected was the slap to the face he received and the scream that escaped her._

_"NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU'RE PHONY!"_

_*End of Flashback*_

"It was like his attempt to woo Koga-senpai all over again!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"Don't say that!" Tamaki reeled. The ordeal still gave him nightmares.

"You're the bastard that harassed my little sister!? Tell me where the hell you are so I can beat the shit out of you!" Jun yelled rage clear on his face. As soon as Isane returned home that fateful day, their grandmother found out what transpired when she was at school. Needless to say none of them had been very happy. Their grandfather, not only a blacksmith but an accomplished bladesmith, had been ready to march down there himself with a tanto and skin the boy alive. _Where's my phone so I can get Yuki and Ryuu-nii…_ On the other side the hosts watched as Tamaki cowered away from the phone in fear. Isane's older brother sounded terrifying!

_"_ Jun-nii knock it off." Isane sighed.

"Koganegawa-hime!" Tamaki sniffed touched that Isane was defending him.

"Yuki-nii wouldn't be able to get out of his shift and by the time it would take Ryuu-nii to get a train out of Akihabara, you'd get arrested for assaulting a minor. Leave assault and battery to the professionals. Besides he already got his just desserts." Isane deadpanned thinking of the video Honey sent her.

Jun glared but Isane stood her ground. "Fine..." _Doesn't mean I can't imagine smashing the little bastard's face in..._

At the blonde's howl of protest she rolled her eyes. _**Moron.**_ "What happened after?"

_*Flashback Continued*_

_Tamaki flinched back shaken as he held his throbbing cheek. "What do you mean... I'm phony?"_

_The girl glared at him. "Just what I said! You're phony! I find it hard to believe that someone like you could possibly be the princely character of this host club!" She tore into him. "You can't give your love away so freely stupid! Dimwitted Narcissist! You're incompetent! Commoner! You're disgusting!" Each insult sent an arrow to hit the blonde and soon he was struck by lightning, falling backwards in slow motion._

_Kyoya was the first to speak after a moment of tense silence. "I don't suppose you are-"_

_The young lady burst into tears. "It's you!" She wrapped her arms around him. "My prince charming!"_

_*End of Flashback (again)*_

"Actually that was pretty funny. The boss invented one man slow motion!" Kaoru piped up.

"Prince Charming?" Jun questioned raising an eyebrow. "What is this a corny drama?"

"Continue please?" Isane asked. "Because all I'm getting is that she didn't appreciate your advances and Otori seems to be her type."

"Koganegawa-hime must you be so cruel!?" The blonde wailed.

"Stop calling me that!" Isane snapped.

_*Flashback Continued (again)*_

_The host club was cancelled abruptly due to the shock the princely type received as well as the girl's declaration of Kyoya being her fiancé._

_"So... you're really Kyoya-senpai's fiancé?" Haruhi asked uncertain as they all took a good look at her. She seemed like she was all happiness and smiles compared to Kyoya who usually only cracked either a host smile or a terrifyingly pleasant grin when he wanted to be scary. It was a lot for them to take in._

_"That's correct. My name is Renge Houshakuji and I'll be starting in first year's Class A as of tomorrow." She replied pleasantly._

_Tamaki sat in his usual corner of woe._

_"Why is he sulking now?" Hikaru muttered._

_"It's because mommy was hiding a secret from daddy." Kaoru explained._

_"Knock it off. Why does everyone keep referring to us like we're husband and wife?" Kyoya asked somewhat exasperated._

"Mommy and Daddy? That's some kinky shit you brats have going on in that club of yours. Speaking of which, a host club?" Jun commented disrupting the flashback as he put away the rest of the dishes. ' _I think we're going to need to have a long talk with the chairman about this school of his.'_

"It's not like that Koganegawa-hime's older brother!" Tamaki tried to explain.

"They just talk to girls, drink tea, and eat cake. Socializing." Isane pointed out.

"We cosplay from time to time too." Kaoru explained.

"Still calling kinky shit." Her brother replied.

"Can we just get back to the flashbacks please?" Hikaru spoke up annoyed

_"It's a story of love at first sight..." Renge hummed dreamily._

_"I couldn't resist the way you were adoring those flowers when you thought no one was looking. Or the time when you helped that injured kitten in the rain..."_

_The hosts looked on disgruntled. None of them could imagine Kyoya doing any of those things. Not only was it out of character but it sounded like something from a sappy shojo manga._

_She droned on and on about how he was actually a sensitive man under his stoic shell causing them to go into a panic, save for Kyoya himself. Even Mori was somewhat disgruntled by how she described him. It was just too much to take in. Then it all came together._

_"Just like the main character from the popular game Uki Doki Memorial! You're my real life Ichijou Miyabi!" She exclaimed pointing a finger at him._

_Insert awkward silence here._

_"OTAKU!" Tamaki screamed._

_"OTAKU!?" Hikaru followed._

_"I'VE NEVER SEEN ONE!" Kaoru exclaimed._

_*End of Flashback (Finally)*_

"So Otori looks like a character from a video game and she deluded herself into thinking that they're going to get married?" Isane couldn't believe what she was hearing. **_And I thought their customers were bad. This one really takes the cake._**

"That's right! Kyo-chan's never even met her until now! Their parents are business partners." Honey explained.

"So they can't throw her out even if they wanted to." Jun thought out loud. "Well that's a pain in the ass."

"It is! She even nominated herself as club manager!" Kaoru could be heard ranting.

"Now I just feel like you guys wanted to call just so you could complain to her." Haruhi deadpanned

Isane sighed. "If you did call me just to complain I'm hanging up."

"We weren't I promise hime!" Tamaki swore up and down.

Kyoya on the other hand decided to add his two cents. "Technically you are. You grabbed the phone from Honey-senpai."

"Kyoya!" The blonde wailed.

"That's it." Isane promptly hung up.

"Are they bothering you?" Jun asked her seriously. _'You know you don't have to keep going there right? Tou-san and Kaa-san won't mind helping you find another school to transfer to.'_

Isane shook her head. "They're harmless. Annoying, but otherwise harmless. Haninozuka-senpai, Morinozuka-senpai, and Fujioka are all right. _**And Otori is still creepy.**_

"Is Fujioka the girl that was talking? I overheard you when Takuya and Kiraz about it the last time they came over." _'Something about dancing? I didn't hear the entire conversation.'_

Isane shrugged her shoulders and finished off her slice of cake while Jun put the rest in the fridge. "She's an honors' student that I became friends with. She's pretty cool." She finished lamely.

Jun smiled slightly and ruffled her bangs much to his sister's protests. "I'm glad. I know you miss hanging out with Kiraz and Takuya like you used to." _'Good to know that you're broadening your circle bit by bit.'_

"Thanks." Isane smiled back.

Then his smile became teasing. "So... 'Koga-chan'? That's adorable!" _Was the little guy someone's younger brother?_ His mind spoke in a mockingly cutesy voice.

Isane rolled her eyes. "He's my senpai and he's not actually a little kid Jun-nii."

Jun choked on his cake. "Wait what?!"

* * *

*Later*

"So they have a crazy manager with them now?" Kiraz asked over the phone. She and Isane were chatting for a while. They would have included Takuya but he was stuck doing a project due on Monday and neither of them wanted to bother him.

"That's what they said. Apparently Otori looks just like the character in this game she's obsessed with and she thinks they're getting married." Isane replied turning the page to the current manga she was reading. "Uki Doki something. Some weird title."

Kiraz seemed to pause. "Hold on, do you mean Uki Doki Memorial?"

Isane blinked. "Yea that's the one. Have you played it or something?"

Kiraz snorted. "I tried to. It's a dating sim. A couple of girls in my class are into it and I overheard them talking about how much they loved the characters so I got curious. I thought it was going to be something like Mystic Messenger."

"Was it?" Isane guessed. She would admit that while she hadn't been that into the game, Saeyoung's route had been her personal favorite. Mostly because she thought he was the most complex character. He was also funny. Too bad Jaehee didn't have a romantic route. Hers was good too.

"No it was not. The plot was so cheesy I couldn't make myself play past the first chapter." Kiraz explained. "The main character is always nice to the player but that's it and I didn't find the other characters that likable either. I think most girls just play it for the eye candy. Unless I'm missing something. Which character does this guy look like?"

"The MC if I'm not mistaken." Isane spoke. She pulled up the website on her phone and promptly choked on her spit.

"Isa are you ok?!" Kiraz was alarmed as she heard choking on the other end. "Woman don't die on me!"

"Oh my god! He looks exactly like him!" Isane burst into laughter.

"Are you serious? How much?"

"Haha! Just plaster black hair on him and you've got Otori!"

* * *

*The Haninozuka Household*

Honey had just gotten out of the shower after a grueling session in the dojo with his father and brother. He was looking forward to a slice of his chef's strawberry shortcake before starting on homework when he heard his phone go off. "Who's calling me at this time?" He wondered as he tried to figure out where he'd thrown his phone. Finally he located the rose gold cover on top of his plush bed next to Usa-chan. "Koga-chan?" _I thought she still would've been mad about Tama-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan using my phone to complain to her. I know I am._ He frowned thinking about what happened after Isane hung up on them.

_*Flashback*_

_"Kyoya why on Earth would you say that?! The one time you decide to open your mouth during the entire conversation and that's what comes out of it?!" Tamaki cried. "Do you realize how terrifying Koganegawa-hime's brother sounded!? You heard him! What if he decides to come beat us to a bloody pulp!?"_

_Kyoya was not moved. "I believe you heard what Koganegawa-san said. He would be arrested for assaulting minors and it wouldn't put the rest of their family in a good position. We have to leave the school soon anyway so I might as well have brought the conversation to a close."_

_"Besides boss" Hikaru commented. "He was talking about you." Tamaki flinched._

_"Yea. You are_ _the one who decided to try and put the moves on her last." Kaoru added more salt to the wound._

_Honey pouted. He'd wanted to talk to Isane. Texting her was fun but he'd actually wanted to have a real conversation with her on the phone. He wanted to get to know the girl he was becoming friends with some more. It was clear to him that there was still a barrier between the two of them and he wanted to know how to break it. Or at least crack it some more._

_"Honey-senpai are you ok?" Haruhi asked seeing the senior pout behind his plush rabbit._

_"...I wanted to talk to Koga-chan..." He mumbled._

_The brunette smiled apologetically. "Yeah... sorry about that. Tamaki-senpai probably complained a lot to her huh... She's usually pretty calm when I talk to her."_

_"You talk to her to Haru-chan?" Honey lifted his head. 'Of course they talk to each other dum-dum...' he chided himself. 'They're more like friends than you are with her...'_

_"Yup. I don't have a cell phone so I call from the landline sometimes. She's a good listener. Maybe you can talk to her later today? At least you won't have interruptions."_

_"Yeah..."_

_*End of Flashback*_

Curious, he swiped across the screen and tapped on the messenger app. As soon as he clicked on Isane's contact a video popped up as her last post.

"Pfft!" Honey tried to hold back a laugh but in the end let out a series of cackles so unlike his childish laughter at the host club. "Oh my- haha! What the-!" Feeling a little brave he tapped the phone icon near her name.

After a few rings, her voice came through. "Moshi Moshi?"

"What the heck was that?!" He laughed.

The video had been of who at first he thought was Kyoya but the hair color was wrong and he was wearing a red scarf and cream uniform. The background was a pixelated class room and there was a caption under the character as he said "I love you. You're all that I can think about my darling. Let's spend the rest of our lives together." In a voice that sounded eerily similar to the cool host but the lines were so out of character that it was hilarious.

"I kid you not that's an actual line from the game you were all talking about earlier." He could hear the laughter in her voice and could easily picture a wide grin on her face. It was a nice image.

"Are you serious? Was that a dating sim?!" No wonder Renge had been calling Kyoya her prince charming then. She wasn't kidding when she said he looked like the real life version of this Miyabi character!

"Yea it was. I looked up a gameplay and it is so damn cheesy!" Isane giggled on the other side and Honey grinned widely.

"If I show this to Tama-chan or Hika-chan and Kao-chan they're gonna have a fit." He said.

"Well I don't mind if you show it to them. Don't tell them it was me though. I'm not having Otori on my ass about it." Isane commented.

"You're still scared of Kyo-chan?" He asked.

"I prefer the term 'rightfully wary' thank you." Isane deadpanned.

"...I can still send it right?" He hoped he could.

"Knock yourself out senpai."

Honey grinned toothily. This was going to be fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, I did actually make a soufflé roll with my lab partner for intro to food and nutrition and she ended up churning the heavy cream for the filling into butter the first attempt. It was hilarious. Yes I have played Mystic Messenger. I always feel bad that Jaehee is stuck being Jumin's servant in every route except her own. Another fun fact, Saeyoung, Saeran, and I actually share the same birthday.
> 
> Now for another character bio!  
> Jun Koganegawa  
> Age: 19  
> Occupation: College student and part time patisserie  
> Blood type: A-  
> Height: 5'9  
> Birthday: August 8th  
> Favorite Food: Ochazuke with salmon sashimi  
> Biggest Pet Peeve: His family likes to eat the confections he bakes for work
> 
> I'm sorry if this chapter was a little rough and if anyone seems out of character. This one was a little difficult to get through. Please remember to review and if you're critiquing, be civil.  
> Also, I have a tumblr page so if anyone is interested it's Kitsune-to-tenshi-chan and my fanfiction.net account is Kitsune to Tenshi-chan. Use the scores as listed for tumblr. I've drawn Isane and Kiraz so far and I can post pictures of them on there.  
> Thank you. See you next chapter!  
> Ja'ne- Kitsune to Tenshi-chan


	8. Berware the female Manager (and otaku) part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What's this about a movie now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive! School has been kicking my ass and giving me a bunch of projects so I haven't had much time to write! So sorry about that but please enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Remember:  
> 'Bold Italics'- Isane's thoughts  
> 'Italics'- Thoughts of others  
> normal italics- text messages (flashbacks will be noted with *)

The Koganegawa household was quiet when Isane woke up that morning. Jun left for an early class and her parents and grandmother were at work. Stepping out of the front door, Isane could see people going straight to work at her grandfather's forge. Hisao Koganegawa, or Hisao Ayase as he went by his maiden name for work, was known for his craftsmanship whether it was making knives, swords, or everyday metal objects. He had several apprentices he was teaching and so far they were taking to his instructions like fish to water. The sound of pounding steel echoed outside.

 ** _'I'll bring them lunch later.'_** She decided walking back inside to cook herself breakfast. The kitchen was soon filled with the smell of miso soup, rice, and grilled salmon. Isane sat in the dining room looking over some notes when her phone beeped. A message from Honey-senpai.

_Haninozuka-senpai: I showed Tama-chan, Hika-chan, and Kao-chan that text you showed me at the morning club meeting._

Below the text was a picture of the twins and Tamaki. The redheads were currently on the floor with one curled up and holding his stomach while the other seemed to be smacking the floor. Both had tears running down their eyes and looked like they were dying of laughter. As for Tamaki, the blonde was standing over a table nearby covering the lower half of his face. The table beneath him was dripping with either tea or coffee. A hand could be seen in the corner offering a tissue.

_Me: What happened to Suoh?_

_Haninozuka-senpai: He was so surprised by the video that the commoner coffee he was drinking squirted out of his nose!_

Isane snickered evilly. "I can only imagine Otori's reaction." Then she paused. "Commoner coffee? Does he mean instant?"

_Me: What about Otori? And by commoner coffee do you mean instant?_

_Haninozuka-senpai: Kyo-chan is pulling up the number for the company that made the game. I don't know about you but I'm pretty sure he's paranoid that someone used his looks to make the game character. And yea! Haru-chan brought it the first time at club and everyone liked it! Have you ever had it Koga-chan?_

_Me: I have but I'm not crazy about it and I'm more of a tea person myself. A friend of mine will tell you that Instant is a defamation to coffee though. She's been spoiled by the beans._

"And I'm not joking." The tawny haired girl mused.

_*Flashback*_

_They were currently hanging out at Takuya's house. The boy in question asked if they wanted coffee and so he had brought out three mugs along with a small bowl of sugar and a pitcher that contained warm milk._

_Kiraz frowned sniffing at her mug. 'What kind of coffee is this?' Isane heard her thinking as she took a sip. Isane and Takuya jolted in surprise when their curly haired friend suddenly jumped up and ran into the kitchen._

_"BLEGH!" She could be heard spitting into the sink. 'OH MY GOD THIS SO GROSS!' Her mind screamed._

_"Something tells me she didn't enjoy the coffee..." Takuya muttered pouring milk and sugar in his mug. 'Taste fine to me.'_

_Isane sipped at it and hummed. "What kind is this anyway?"_

_"It's an instant brand my mom likes to buy. You just stir it into hot water."_

_Kiraz slammed a hand against the wall scandalized. "That's... That is not how you make coffee! That's blasphemy! How the heck are you able to stomach that!?" She sat down glaring at the liquid as if it had wronged her. Then again it probably had given her reaction._

_"It's not that bad actually. A little weak in the flavor department but not bad. Maybe it's because you had it straight up black?" Isane suggested._

_Kiraz stared at her blankly. "Isa-chan, I have been drinking straight up black coffee since I was five. We literally have a coffee maker, a French press and a pour over in my kitchen." She placed her hands on the table and leaned towards them. "Next you guys come over to my place I'll show you real coffee."_

_Suffice to say, the next time they went to Kiraz's house she really did show them how it was done._

_*End of Flashback*_

* * *

When school came around again, the host club set up a morning meeting. Well most them at least. In light of the events regarding Renge, Haruhi was left to fend for herself by the rest of the hosts to deal with Renge. With Kyoya hanging her debt over her head once more she had no choice. Currently, she and the otaku were the club room's kitchen (Why they had one in the first place Haruhi had no clue. Wasn't this a music room?). The girl had all but demanded that Haruhi teach her how to bake cookies so that she could give some to Kyoya.

"Haruhi I melted all the chocolate!" Renge exclaimed and Haruhi was about to reply only to catch the scent of something burning.

"Is something burn-" She found the pot Renge used to be smoking. "Renge-chan did you put the chocolate itself into the pot!?"

The French girl blinked. "Of course! How else was I supposed to melt it?"

"Not directly!"

On the other side of the door, Tamaki, the twins and Honey looked at the seen through a slight crack in happiness. "Haruhi's feminity is showing~" Tamaki sighed dreamily, happy that the brunette was doing something girly like baking with another girl. She was also wearing a checkered bandana and apron which, admittedly, was quite adorable on her.

"So cute." The twins cooed. All were ignorant of the mess and the irritation flowing from Haruhi mind you.

* * *

"Everyone! Your manager has made cookies!" Renge walked out grinning holding a tray. Haruhi walked out behind her holding a small bag herself sighing. Baking cookies usually wasn't so exhausting but Renge just wanted to do her own thing regardless if it was the wrong step. First she nearly burnt all the chocolate they had in stock (Honey and Kyoya would not be pleased.) then she nearly blackened them to a crisp because the heat of the oven was so high.

"Ah~ Such wonderful kindness from-" Tamaki went to monologue but was quickly shut down by the rich girl.

"These aren't for you, you phony prince." Her tone was completely flat. Into the corner of woe Tamaki went.

"Kyoya-sama I learned how to bake commoner cookies from Haruhi-kun~" Renge cooed. "I'm afraid it's my first time." She blushed as she offered him the nicer looking ones.

"Well... The colors seem to be okay." Though he kept up his host club smile, Kyoya's voice wavered between uncertain and polite.

"If it's Kyoya-sama… I'm sure you'd say..." Renge trailed off dreamily as she imagined her dating sim character in her mind.

_'Anything you make will come out delicious my dear~'_

The other hosts grimaced looking at the cookies Renge offered to them. Bravely, Honey took one and sunk his teeth into it. "Ugh... these are really burnt." He muttered.

Mori immediately went to his side. "Mitsukuni don't eat it. It's bad for you." Unfortunately this was the wrong thing to say because Renge heard them. At that moment a terrifying scowl formed on her face and her hair seemed to take a life of its own and form into snakes.

"AHHHHHHH! SCARY! HELP!" Honey cried as Mori grabbed him and ran while Renge chased them.

"Hey Haruhi did you make cookies too?" Hikaru asked as the girl opened her own bag and pulled out a brown cookie.

"I made ginger cookies to take home since I thought my dad would want some. They're easy to make and not too sweet." She spoke up and bit into it. She eyed the cookies for Kyoya curiously and examined one. Although it was darker than preferred it didn't look as bad as some of the ones Renge pulled out. She took a bit and hummed. It could use a little less sugar but overall it wasn't a bad cookie for a first attempt.

"They're actually not that bad. They have a pretty good flavor to them." Haruhi announced finishing the confection off and went to eat another ginger cookie. Seeing this, and that Tamaki was still in his corner, the twins formed a sneaky plan.

"May I try?" Hikaru tilted the girl's head up and placed a cookie in her mouth. He bit into the other side and broke it in half. Tamaki's head snapped up.

"Hey this is pretty good. Think you can bake a cake next time Haruhi?" Hikaru teased patting the top of her head.

"Oh! Haruhi... Looks like you have some crumbs on your face." Kaoru noted and leaned down to lick them off her cheek. This was the straw that broke the camel's back for the blonde king who proceeded to blather nonsense.

"And the classmate trio is closer than before. She's getting along quite well with male classmates isn't she." Kyoya drawled to himself and raised an eyebrow at some of the blonde's gibberish. He was pretty sure Tamaki began cursing the twins out in French at some point.

Haruhi gave the twins a flat stare. "Kaoru I could've just cleaned it off if you told me, and Hikaru, there's more cookies in the bag if you want some. I made more than enough. Sheesh..."

Tamaki finally snapped and cradled her face in his hands. "That's not how you're supposed to react! You're supposed to reject them, not let them go!" He shrieked.

"Senpai please knock off the sexual harassment." Haruhi told him blandly. That only seemed to set the blonde off even further.

"Sexual harassment!? If this is sexual harassment then those two are atrocious criminals! Call the police!"

"Uh boss? Calm down." Hikaru tried to sooth the blonde.

"Yeah it was only a joke." Kaoru added.

As the exchange continued, Renge quietly observed, her face one of deep thought. Honey walked up to her, a mug of milk in hand and tugged on her sleeve to get her attention.

"Renge-chan do you want some milk?" Truth be told the only reason he was offering was because he'd been downing glasses of it earlier in an attempt to rid his mouth of the foul taste of her cookies. Maybe she ought to get lessons from Isane's brother. He wasn't about to say that to her face though.

The one thing he hadn't expected was for the younger to pinch his face. Hard.

"OW!" He cried out running towards Mori who bent down trying to comfort him. What did she go and do that for!? All he did was offer her something to drink! Did she not like milk?!

"None of you are good enough!" The otaku declared gaining everyone's attention. "All of your characters are lukewarm except for Kyoya-sama! None of you have flaws! If you keep showing the same thing over and over again the ladies will just get bored! Are you trying to sabotage my Kyoya-sama's business!? Starting today I'm giving your characters negative aspects! You!" She pointed at Honey. The poor senior flinched in both terror and bewilderment as he clutched his stuffed rabbit tighter.

"If all you are is cute on the inside and outside, you're basically a toddler! You may be a baby face, but on the inside you're a vicious thug!" Renge declared shocking them all.

"HUH!? NO!" The senior cried out.

 _'But... He's the loli-shota type... He's supposed to be cute!'_ They all thought.

"Morinozuka-senpai you are the childhood friend and delinquent! Take of Haninozuka-senpai by staying with him all the time! Dignify the speeches you make once in a while! Twins! You're basketball players who suffer from the fact that no one can tell the difference between the two of you! Haruhi-kun you're the bullied honors student!" Then she set her eyes on Tamaki.

"Finally, Tamaki-senpai! You're the beloved school idol but you actually have a huge complex! You are... the 'Lonely Prince'!"

"Kyoya-sama please continue to be the loving person you are ~" Renge went back to fawning over the glasses wearing host.

He gave her his host smile in return. "I'm glad you think so highly of me."

 _'That has to be the most wrong one of them all...'_ Haruhi thought.

"The 'Lonely Prince'... I suppose it suits me well..." Tamaki mumbled to himself.

"Uh Kyoya-senpai? Please do something." Hikaru pleaded.

"Yeah Honey-senpai looks like he's going through an existential crisis." Kaoru pointed out the small senior. Although his crying had stopped, Mori was still trying to get him to finish calming down. Even the quiet senior was somewhat taken aback though he didn't let it show.

"Well... Haruhi is supposed to be taking care of her. Besides..." He motioned towards Tamaki. The blonde was currently posed in front of Renge.

"Renge-san, does look like a lonely pose?" He asked.

The otaku clapped her hands together gleefully. "Excellent Tamaki-senpai! I bet it'd be even more effective if it rained!"

"Seems like the president is all for it." Haruhi mumbled as they all felt a sweatdrop fall down their heads.

"Well, let's see." Kyoya said, a calculating gleam in his eyes. "It should turn out to be pretty interesting."

 _'Scary..._ _'_ They thought.

* * *

*Koganegawa household*

Isane was currently in the sitting room laying on the sofa and writing in her notebook. She'd managed to finish her notes earlier than she expected and cleaned up the kitchen after serving lunch to her grandfather and his apprentices which turned out to be interesting. Some of them were about her age.

*Flashback*

_"Oji-san! I made lunch!" Isane called out into the forge above the sound of metal hitting metal. It was blisteringly hot inside as furnaces blazed at full heat. Most of the men were drenched in sweat, huffing and puffing as they worked. Isane stood outside holding a few large rectangular containers. Behind her was one of the groundskeepers, a kindly man named Tetsuo, holding a large pot and basket containing paper bowls, plates, and plastic utensils._

_"Is that so?" Her grandfather hollered above the noise. "All right! We're taking an hour for lunch! After that we get back straight to work! We've got to get this order done by the end of the week!" 'Any longer and your hides are mine!' His mind threatened._

_Isane and the groundskeeper set up the pot and containers on top of a table outside of the forge. "Thank you for the help Tetsuo-san. I'm sorry if I troubled you." She said._

_The man merely waved the apology off. "I'm happy to help Isane-sama. You and your family rarely ask." 'This family still manages to surprise me no matter how long I've worked for them.' The Koganegawa family rarely asked their help for more than they were assigned. They mainly consisted of gardeners and groundskeepers save for the matriarch's chauffer, a sweet young man named Yone. There were no cooks or maids or butlers. The family preferred to do all that themselves. They were strange among the rest of the rich community but the staff didn't mind. They were kind, offered housing on their grounds, and paid well._

_Soon enough, the men in the forge trickled out and some of the younger ones blinked in surprise at the spread before them. Isane lifted the container lids to reveal onigiri neatly shaped into triangles. The lid of the pot was lifted to reveal beef stew. Next to the table sat two coolers filled to the brim with water bottles. By the entranced looks on their faces, they were starving._

_"Grab a plate and we'll serve you! There's enough for everyone!" The men needed no more prompting and immediately formed a line waiting to be served bowls of stew and plates of onigiri._

_'Oh man this looks so good!'_

_'I could eat a damn horse right about now.'_

_'Ayase-sensei is brutal!'_

_"Ah excuse me..." Isane looked up to see a boy her age holding a bottle of water and plate of onigiri. "Do you work here? Y_ _ou look like you're my age." He asked, dark eyes assessing her. 'She's cute. A little taller than I like girls but still pretty cute.' Isane was about to tell him to move and let the next person be served but she was interrupted by a harsh cough from behind the boy who jumped and turned to find her grandfather behind him._

_"Takahara if you don't mind, I'd like to get some food from my granddaughter sometime today." He grumbled. 'Don't think I didn't see what you were doing. I might not have the gift like my granddaughter or wife but I know flirting when I see it.'_

_"Ah sorry sensei I'll- WAIT YOU'RE HIS GRANDDAUGHTER!?" The boy yelled getting the attention of the rest of the workers who either shook their heads or laughed. Clearly he was new here._

_"Rule number one Takahara!" Another boy her age called out from a shady spot. "Don't flirt with sensei's granddaughter!"_

*End of flashback*

The sound of her phone ringing on the coffee table nearly sent Isane falling off of the couch but she did drop her notebook. "Shit that scared me..." She muttered breathless as she took a look at the screen. A text from Honey.

_Haninozuka-senpai: Koga-chan do you think I look like a thug?!_

Those words sent Isane spiraling into confusion. "What?"

_Me: Wtf senpai? What brought that on?_

_Haninozuka-senpai: Renge-chan..._

Isane frowned. "What on Earth did that girl do?" Knowing she might not get the full story through text, the tawny haired teen dialed Honey's number and waited for the fun sized senior to pick up.

"Moshi, Moshi." A familiar deep voice resonated on the other side. Why Mori picked up Honey's phone she didn't know but she'd burn that bridge when she got there.

"Morinozuka-senpai is Haninozuka-senpai there?" She asked.

"Mitsukuni just left to use the bathroom." _**Damn I think this is the longest sentence I've actually heard him say. Thoughts not withstanding.**_ She thought to herself.

"Oh. I'll call back later then." Before she could hang up, Mori spoke again.

"...Do you think I look like a delinquent?" His voice was quieter than she'd previously heard him. He almost sounded morose.

"What...?" Now she was exasperated. "Morinozuka-senpai what's going on? First Haninozuka-senpai asked me if he looked like he could be a thug and now this. Is he back? Put me on speaker."

"All right." Soon Isane could hear noise in the background.

"Takashi?" Did someone call me?" Honey's voice could be heard.

"Koganegawa-san is on speaker." Mori merely replied. Isane heard rustling and movement.

"Koga-chan?" The blonde senior asked tentatively.

"What's this about being a thug and what does it have to do with that girl? Morinozuka-senpai just asked me if I thought he looked like a delinquent?" She asked wondering what the hell it was that was going on in that club of theirs right now.

"Oh... well... Renge-chan said that all our characters are really lukewarm and that we needed to have darker aspects to it. Somehow I've gone from loli-shota type to a violent thug with a baby face and she made Takashi a delinquent. I really don't get why she did that. All she did with the twins was make them part of the basketball club and now Haru-chan is supposed to be bullied! She made Tama-chan a lonely prince character. I don't want to be mean!" He cried out painfully.

Isane couldn't help but wince. It sounded like that girl was just making a mess of things. "What about Otori?" She asked.

Mori let out a hum and Honey let out a groan of frustration. "That's just it! She said Kyo-chan's character was perfect! Like, how on earth is it that his is perfect!? Kyo-chan doesn't even take customers!"

Isane didn't speak for a moment. _**Hold on... Didn't they say that Renge was projecting her favorite character on him?**_ "Senpai can you give me a minute?"

"Sure. What are you doing?" He asked.

"Getting my computer. There's something I want to look up." Isane left the living room and made a bee line for her bedroom. She hurriedly plopped into her chair and powered up her laptop to log into her browser. She typed in 'Uki Doki Memorial' and clicked on the game's main website. Isane ignored the glittery fonts and colorful pictures in favor of finding the about page. She scrolled through the plot of the game and immediately found the character list. She found what she was looking for.

"It looks like Renge's just copying what was on the game." Isane said at last.

"Huh?" Honey made a noise of confusion.

"I'm on the webpage for that game she's obsessed about. Those changes she made to your host characters are from the game itself." Isane read some of bios for the game characters. It seemed Renge merely copied and pasted each character to a host. They even looked a bit similar to them which was a bit creepy to be honest, but probably not intended.

Uki Doki Memorial Cast

MC:

The MC is the newest student at White Rose Academy. She seems to draw attention to herself quite fast. A bit on the klutzy side she gains Ichijou Miyabi as both a friend and guide through school.

Yasutora Nakamura:

A third year with a childish appearance. Don't be fooled by his cute face though. Yasutora is the leader of the 'Ravens', a group of delinquent students hell bent on beating a rival gang called the 'Vultures'. His second in command is his childhood friend Ryusuke Watanabe. He is known to be somewhat abusive towards Ryusuke and seems to hate the MC for some reason.

Ryusuke Watanabe:

A quiet third year and second command to his childhood friend Yasutora. He's been trying to get Yasutora to leave the delinquent scene for a long time but to no avail. He is neutral towards the MC though he gives thoughtful advice from time to time.

Atsushi Momomiya::

A first year and member of the White Rose Academy basketball club. He and his brother Akira are identical twins and are difficult to tell apart by the staff and rest of the student body. Very distant and somewhat mean spirited, he likes to pull pranks. It seems not being able to be told apart from his brother has taken a toll on him.

Akira Momomiya:

A first year and member of the White Rose Academy basketball club with his brother Atsushi. Although he seems as mean spirited as his brother, he appears almost shy by himself. Wherever his brother is, he is sure to be close behind.

Akihiko Fukuda:

A second year and student body president, he is popular with students and teachers alike for his kindness and hard-working ethic. It looks like he's hiding something though.

Ichijou Miyabi:

A second year student and student body vice president. He is a quiet and handsome individual with a personality people describe as mysterious.

"Are you serious?" Honey mumbled and Isane could hear the frustration in his tone. "I really hope Kyo-chan doesn't go through with this. I don't think the ladies would appreciate me acting mean." He and Mori were both looking up the site themselves on Mori's phone. Seeing Kyoya's doppleganger was still incredibly weird. "How come I don't see Haru-chan's change on here?"

"You said she's supposed to be a bullied honors student right? Renge probably got that from how the player's character is usually designed in these games. The bullied new girl is a common trope." Isane explained.

"We have club tomorrow and for once I'm not looking forward to it." Honey's voice was sullen.

"You and I both." Mori spoke up again startling Isane.

"Morinozuka-senpai no offense but I don't think I'm ever going to get used to hearing you say more than one word. I'm sorry." Isane said bluntly.

The tall senior chuckled lowly. "No offense taken."

"And for the record... Neither of you look like delinquents. Don't take what she says to heart ok?" She added.

"Thanks Koga-chan. You're a good friend." Honey said and Isane felt her heart flutter a little at that word.

(Somewhere, two more lightbulbs joined the first one in lighting up. Three now glowed.)

"That... that means a lot senpai. I gotta hang up now. Bye."

"Bye." Mori said.

"Bye Koga-chan!" Honey chirped.

Isane hung up and stared at her phone. _**They really think of me as a friend...**_ She couldn't help but feel giddy.

* * *

*The next day*

"Bye Mizuhara-sensei! Have a good week!" Isane waved the chemistry teacher good bye and went on her way. She'd had to come in to pick up a rubric for a project the teacher assigned and was once again on the receiving end of stares, some curious and others judgmental. She was wearing a black Gorillaz sweater with the band's name on the front in red and the monkey skull logo on the back, a light blue shirt with white flowers printed on it, skinny jeans and red converse.

Just as she left the main entrance, Isane heard commotion coming from the back of the school. Vehicles, people shouting, something about costumes and lights? Curious about what might be going on, she walked towards the back of the school only to find cameras, spot lights and what looked like an entire film crew. At the center of it all was a background meant to be designed like a basketball court. The twins were wearing the school basketball jerseys and playing a game against some extras while the cameras were filming.

"Indeed Hitachiin-sama is Ouran's Ace!"

"The one that just made a shot is that Hikaru-kun or Kaoru-kun?"

"It doesn't matter, they're both so wonderful!"

One of the twins sat down on a chair drinking water and a female student walked up to him. "Erm… Kaoru-kun here's a towel for you." _'Wah! He looks so cool in the basketball jersey~'_ Her thoughts cooed.

"... I'm Hikaru…" The boy muttered flatly. _'Kaoru and I even wore different shoes and socks so that the director would be able to tell._

"I-I'm so sorry!" she apologized.

Hikaru merely looked back towards the court. "It's all right. I'm used to it." _'It's not like it isn't the first time. Our own mother can't even tell the two of us apart.'_

Isane blinked at the thought. _**Ouch... Not even their own mother?**_

Hikaru suddenly leapt up from his seat. Kaoru was on the court floor clutching his leg close to his chest in pain. Surrounding him were actors dressed as referees and coaches.

"Kaoru!" Hikaru yelled making his was towards his brother.

"Get a stretcher! Bring him to the nurse's office immediately!" A few people were yelling.

"Kaoru!" The older twin yelled again reaching for his brother.

"Hikaru-san you can't go with him! Go back to the game!?" The 'coach' said.

"Shut up!" He snarled in response.

"Hikaru…" Kaoru spoke up weakly. "Calm down... you can't feel my pain okay? You're not the one who's hurt."

"Kaoru..." Tears began trailing down Hikaru's face and he whimpered as he clutched his brother's hand. "Can't... It hurts... It hurts Kaoru..."

 _"Your pain is my pain..."_ Isane blinked and her gaze trailed over to a woman holding a script as she spoke into a microphone nearby. "What the hell?" She wondered. **_Are they making a movie?_**

_"It doesn't matter even if no one understands us. We can live as long as we have each other."_

All of a sudden it began to rain over part of the set via a shower mechanism that had been brought over by one of the crew. Tamaki walked up to the twins eventually drenched. "...I envy you..." he muttered softly. "You have somebody to support each other..."

"Suoh-senpai..." Kaoru spoke.

"But Suoh-senpai is the idol of the academy..." Hikaru trailed off.

"Idol... heh..." Tamaki let out a humorless chuckle and shut his eyes. "I'd prefer being alone. To be praised just for my appearance..."

_"Injured hearts cross each other."_

"I'm gonna take this as my cue to leave... whatever the hell this is..." Isane said to herself. _**This all just sounds like the preview of a really corny drama.**_

Well, leaving was going to be the plan until "You can't get away from me you poor bitch." Cue Isane freezing in place and staring at another scene happening a few feet away. _**No fucking way...**_

Under another tree, Haruhi was crouched at the base, her face one of fear as two people closed in on her. _'I didn't think Honey-senpai had it in him to cuss like that._ The brunette thought to herself as she tried to keep her fearful face up.

 _ **You and I both Fujioka.**_ Isane was flabbergasted.

"You should've known what would happen when you went against me." Honey continued.

_"Passing through and injuring each other, what darkness lies in boys' hearts...?"_

Mori stood next to him as if trying to placate his fellow senior. "Stop it Mitsukuni."

_"The ending waiting for them is a light of salvation?"_

"You're the one who suffers every time you hurt someone else." He finished. Isane was thoroughly weirded out when Honey snapped at him. Was this what he meant by Renge portraying him as a thug? To be honest he had her convinced!

"Don't admonish me Takashi. You want to be punished again?" He growled lowly. Honey lifted his head, a smug and fearsome look that Isane didn't think had been possible for him to make. "I hate people who live beyond their means." _Keep it together, keep it..."_ Honey began to shake violently and soon he began teary eyed before he leapt towards Haruhi and hugged her tightly.

"I'M SORRY HARU-CHAN! I WON'T EVER SAY SUCH MEAN THINGS TO YOU AGAIN!" He wailed. _I don't wanna do this! I hate being mean!_

"CUT! FOLLOW THE SCRIPT!" Renge yelled from the sidelines. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! DON'T JUS READ IT IN SUCH A BLAND MANNER! CAMERA! STOP FILMING FOR A WHILE!" She ordered earning a 'Yes boss!' from several crewmen.

"I heard she hired them from Hollywood. Apparently the director is the same one who filmed the 'Millennium Snow trilogy'." Kyoya explained. ' _I thought the name sounded familiar... It was a box office hit apparently.'_

"Well that explains all the yelling I heard earlier." Isane finally decided to make her presence known to them. A few flinched before whirling around to find her standing a few ways behind them.

"K-KOGA-CHAN!?" Honey stammered in shock and felt his face heat up underneath his towel. ' _OH GOD DID SHE SEE ME ACTING!?'_ His mind screamed. "How much did you see?"

Isane scratched her cheek awkwardly. "From that basketball scene to now. I gotta say senpai, I didn't think you had it in you to pull of being scary like that. It was actually impressive."

Honey merely buried his face in the towel and groaned. Mori pat his back in sympathy. ' _Worst. Day. Ever...'_

"Hey Koga-senpai, Honey-senpai said you found Renge just pasted characters to us?" Kaoru asked her and the copper eyed girl nodded. _He even said that the characters matched our years._

"Yeah pretty much. Although..." Isane took in the cameras and sets. _**This whole set thing just proves she's trying to delve deeper into her fantasy.**_

"The way she had us acting is like an opening." Hikaru noted. They all paused for a moment.

 _Wait... is this an Uki Doki Live Action?_ Isane sighed to herself. _**A bit too late noticing that aren't you?**_

"Why are we playing basketball anyway? She couldn't have changed it to something else?" Hikaru complained as he finished toweling his hair off. _'Professional video gaming would've been awesome.'_

 _'It seemed like a pretty serious play though.'_ Haruhi thought.

"Morinozuka-senpai, dry yourself off before you get sick." Isane offered a towel to the tallest host who was in the middle of helping Honey.

"Thanks." ' _I really hope I don't get sick after this. We have an English test coming up.'_

 _"_ Koga-chan can I have another one too? This one's completely soaked." Honey asked. ' _Thank goodness Renge-chan told us to bring spare uniforms. I don't think I can explain to my mother why I came home soaked to the bone.'_

"Look at this shitty script." Hikaru waved the thick book. Haruhi, Honey, Isane, and Mori all gathered around to look at it. "It appears as if Hikaru is the leading the relationship, but in actuality Kaoru, being the more mature spiritually, is the seme." Haruhi read. _What does 'seme' mean?_

Isane snorted. ' ** _Oh boy... Fujioka you innocent_ _child_...'**

"It's true so it's no use!" Hikaru pointed out tossing the booklet. "There's no point in changing our characters!"

"Seriously!?" Honey exclaimed. ' _Hold on but that's just you two! What about me and Takashi? Acutally… Takashi does follow me to make sure I'm ok... and Tama-chan does get lonely sometimes... Wait am I the only one who really got their character changed in the end!?'_

Haruhi went to who knew where since there wasn't any need for the hosts at the moment.

"Where'd Otori and Suoh go anyway?" Isane asked the remaining hosts. "I thought Otori would've had part in this too." ' _ **Doesn't seem fair that it's just these guys doing this.'**_

"Boss went to go dry off and Kyoya-senpai got filmed first I think." Kaoru said.

"Hey Honey-senpai!" Hikaru gained the small senior's attention. The tiny blonde found himself with a red towel on his head which the older of the twins tied a knot so that it covered him like a hood. "I now declare thee: Little red riding hood!" _I wonder if they have a basket anywhere..._

This earned a giggle. "Really? Have you seen my basket then? I'm going to grandma's house and I can't just show up empty handed." _'All we need now is a wolf!'_

"Oh I don't know Red-senpai. Maybe you ought to ask the wolf? I hear he loves treats." Isane teased. The rest of them stared at her surprised that she played along.

_Huh... I didn't think she'd joke around with us._

_Well this is a surprise._

_Who's going to be the wolf then?_

_Koga-chan is opening up!_

_**Huh... I guess I am...**_ "What I'm not allowed to have a little fun?" She asked quirking her lips a little.

Kaoru chuckled a little. "Well then Koga-senpai, how do we know you're not the wolf!" He accused.

"Me!?" She gasped in mock outrage. "How dare you! Does this look like the face of someone who would steal from Red riding hood!?"

Hikaru was about to rebut when commotion erupted from the direction Haruhi went in.

"What the hell?" Hikaru spoke up.

"Hold on didn't Haruhi go in that direction?" Kaoru realized. The five ran towards the noise and what they saw had their blood running cold. Tamaki was standing over two other boys looking as if he was going to give them hell. Haruhi and Renge were both on the ground.

Haruhi was crying.

"Fujioka!" Isane cried out alarmed and ran towards her. "What the fuck happened here!?"

Tamaki pinned one of the two boys to the wall. "Who did it..." His voice was low and laced with the promise of a world of hurt. _'Which one of these bastard punks hurt her?!'_

"W-we didn't mean to..." The boy tried to stammer. Isane took a peek into his mind and grimaced at what she saw.

_*Flashback into memory*_

_The two boys were walking down one of the pathways on campus when Renge stopped them. "Excuse me~ Would the two of you be able to help me with something really quick? It'll only take a couple of minutes. The two of you are just the boys I was looking for!"_

_"Ok, what do you need us to do?" One of them asked as Renge led them back to the film set._

_"Haruhi-kun do you think you could help me out here for a moment?" She called out and the brunette walked over to their location. Renge motioned for a camera man to follow along as well._

_"I'd like for these two to be part of the film as well! Could you explain their roles to them while I set things up?"_

_"Hey wait... Aren't you the scholarship student from Class A?" It turned out the two of them were both from class D which was usually for those on the lowest part of the high status social ladder and children of the Yakuza._

_"There should always be bad guys in the climax!" Renge exclaimed shocking the three present. "The club members unite upon being hurt by true villains! The story ends wonderfully when the villains reform themselves after Kyoya-sama's touching line! They're just the men for that position!"_

_"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?" One yelled angrily._

_"DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE ME FOR WHAT MY GRANDFATHER'S DONE IN THE PAST! MY FAMILY'S MOVED PAST THAT AND ONTO BETTER THINGS!"_

_"Wait Renge-san!" Haruhi tried to diffuse the situation. "It might be convenient for you but... if you only see people 2-dimensionally, don't you think there's so much more you're going to miss?"_

_Renge only looked on in confusion before she latched onto one of the boys' arms to tug him in the direction she wanted. "I don't quite understand what you're talking about. Anyway, please come stand-" The otaku was cut off by the class D student who shoved her off of him. "YOU ASSHOLE! Don't just say whatever the hell you want!" He shoved her in the direction of several lights and the structures holding them up. "Don't act so big headed just because you're a part of class A!"_

_"WATCH OUT!" Haruhi yelled shielding the girl before she could hit the poles._

_*End of flashback*_

Isane blinked and saw that Tamaki was about to hit the class D student. "SUOH NO!" He turned to her in both surprise and incredulity. "It's not their fault." she huffed. "They may have done what they did but they didn't start it." She turned back to Haruhi who was still rubbing her eye. "Fujioka how bad are you hurt?"

"Teachers this way! There're scary class D people!" Hikaru and Kaoru called out scaring the two into running.

"It hurts." Haruhi sniffed. Tamaki now kneeled next to Isane looking at their kohai in worry.

"Haruhi..."

"Fujioka can you tell me where it hurts?" Isane asked assessing the girl for any injuries. Thankfully it looked her body wasn't. Hey her brother worked in an ER. She was bound to pick up some knowledge at some point. _**Shit I hope she didn't hit her head then.**_

"My contact lens moved..." The girl finally said causing them both to sweatdrop as she took it out.

"Huh...?" Isane deadpanned.

"Contact...?" Tamaki wasn't sure how to respond.

"WE TOLD YOU WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" The two boys yelled a ways away as they left the scene.

"Heh... Hehe..." Tamaki began to chuckle and Isane deadpanned at him. _'She did it'_

"You're laughing because..." She asked. ' _ **Once again common sense has left the building.'**_

"You managed to cry without prompt... You're a full-fledged host after all." He referred to their cosplay day when they were using eyedrops to cry, though Tamaki kept claiming his were his own doing.

"Honestly... You gave us a scare..." Isane scolded pinching the other girl's cheek. "I thought you were seriously hurt for a minute!" _ **'I was this close to calling 119!'**_

"Ow! Gomen senpai but let go of my face! Ow!" Haruhi complained.

"Ca... Camera! Did you get that just now!? Except for the contact lens scene this is perfect!" Renge exclaimed to the camera man. "Now the only thing we need is Kyoya-sama's touching scene and to delete the parts when that girl came on-" She was cut off by the sound of shattering glass.

"GAH! My camera! All the film up 'til now!" The man working the equipment jumped away lamenting the damage. Kyoya stood in front of the machine, a rock in hand.

"Kyo-Kyoya-sama?!" Renge stammered.

"I'm very sorry" Kyoya began. "But we cannot leave any evidence of the club members' violent acts. And it's very unpleasant of you to be causing this sort of trouble, not only for us but for the others that you dragged into this mess. Please stop acting like such a pest." _'Not only did she bring Haruhi into an unpleasant situation with disregard for safety, she dragged members of Ouran academy into it as well. They may not be of the same social standing but one of them has enough influence to stir up trouble for the rest of us if she so wished. Not to mention this whole debacle.'_

 ** _'Feeling the love Otori... Really...'_** Kyoya was still an asshole in her opinion but at least he had his head on straight.

Renge began to tear up. "Why?" She sobbed. "Kyoya-sama you should have said 'Don't worry about it...' and pat my head gently... If it's Kyoya-sama…" _'What happened to my prince charming... Where's...'_ Her thoughts reminded Isane of a child being told Santa Claus didn't exist. "Why would someone as kind as affectionate as you..."

"But that's not the _real_ Kyoya." Tamaki said calmly, his face serene. Renge turned towards where he, Haruhi and Isane were standing. She collapsed onto her knees and cried harder, tears falling onto her dress. _'Our Kyoya like cold hard facts and spicy food. And he's a lot colder compared to your Ichijou Miyabi.'_

Haruhi walked towards her and kneeled. "It doesn't matter does it?" Renge stared up at her. "Even if Kyoya-senpai is different from what you expected Renge-chan, I think it's fun to know the person little by little through looking at their personality." She smiled at her. _'After all, you always find something new about that person that you didn't know before.'_

"I'm... I'm sorry... For causing so much trouble..." She wept.

Isane sighed. "What a day this turned out to be..." ' _ **At least it's over.'**_

* * *

_Ah! Renge-chan! Long time no see! (Ichijou Miyabi appears on a screen)_

_You look down huh? Come on, smile for me. Today is a very good day._

_After all, Renge-chan, you learned something that's very important for you to go on living a happy life._

_You really have leveled up. (The character smiles)_

* * *

*The next day*

"Hello-" The hosts were interrupted by their customers squealing more than usual.

"WE BOUGHT THE VIDEO!" They cheered. The hosts stared at them blankly as they fawned over their latest piece of merchandise.

"THE RAIN IS THE BEST!"

"I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY HIKARU-KUN AND KAORU-KUN'S DEEP RELATIONSHIP!"

"I WANT TO SEE HONEY-KUN'S EVIL SIDE!"

"Kyoya..." Tamaki muttered darkly as he remained on the couch. What the heck did their vice president do?! Their customers became Otaku! Or maybe they already were and the club didn't notice? All of this was starting to give the blonde a headache.

The cool type host smirked. "Do you think I'm such an idiot as to break the camera without taking the data? The sales are going just fine. Of course the violent scenes have been edited." He smiled his money making smile at the rest of them. "Aren't you happy to have more money for the club?"

 _How can he have planned it so well..._ They thought. Some days it didn't pay to figure him out.

"Besides there was another upside to this that I think the rest of you will find rewarding." He added. Upon their confusion he motioned towards the gaggle of girls.

"But you know, I wasn't expecting Koganegawa-senpai to be in the film at all!" One said to her friends.

Another nodded smiling. "I know! Whenever I see her she always just looks gloomy but when that scene of her joking around with the twins came on she looked like she was having fun!"

"She looked so protective of Haruhi-kun too! Like a big sister!" One girl added. "She and Honey-chan looked like they were having a good time!"

Haruhi blinked up at Kyoya. "Kyoya-senpai?"

He adjusted his glasses making them gleam. "Our original plan was to get Miss Koganegawa out of her shell correct? Given the fact that the students only ever see one facet of her and draw their own conclusions, I thought it best to perhaps show another that they haven't seen before." He explained.

Honey blinked and thought of the teasing grin Isane had on her face when she was messing around with them. She didn't look as guarded as she had in previous times. She'd looked relaxed, carefree...

Isane had looked happy.

"Um... Good day everyone." A voice shyly spoke from the entrance. The hosts were surprised when they saw Renge peeking through.

"Renge-chan? I thought you were going to fly back home?" Haruhi asked puzzled by the girl's presence. After the entire film fiasco, it was decided that Renge would be returning to France the next day. Everyone had gone home exhausted and quite frankly, relieved that the craziness was behind them.

The French girl squirmed in place nervous. "Well... My father and I discussed and decided that I would continue to stay at Ouran. He and both agreed that this would be a good place to continue growing." She laughed to herself. "And I have to admit... I think I still have some growing to do." She walked over to Haruhi and clasped her hands. "Besides..." Sparkling roses appeared around the two of them and her voice gained a dreamy quality to it.

"The kindess to protect me that time with all your might... The depth of your love admonishing me occasionally." Renge smiled lovestruck. "This is what you meant by getting to know the person little by little through looking at their personality isn't it? Haruhi-kun!"

In the background the rest of the hosts were torn between smacking their heads or laughing at Tamaki who blanched in the realization that Renge ended up falling for the crossdressing host.

Renge began attempting to drag the poor host out of the club room. "C'mon! You need to get to know me better too so let's go to my house and play some games!"

"Haruhi!" Tamaki wailed chasing after them. "When I said I wanted you to make more female friends this wasn't what I meant!"

"Uh... Should we do something?" Kaoru asked feeling a sweatdrop fall down his head.

"I don't see anything wrong with it. Besides, he did say he wanted Haruhi to make more female friends." Kyoya added writing in his note book.

"GAH! IF THIS IS THE CASE I'D RATHER KOGANEGAWA-HIME REMAIN YOUR ONLY FEMALE FRIEND!" Tamaki could be heard yelling in the halls.

* * *

"ACHOOO!" Isane let out a loud sneeze. Ryuuji, who had come back home to help their grandfather with a project that required glass, flinched in surprise. The two were currently sitting on the couch watching a movie.

"If you're getting sick I don't wanna catch it imouto." He deadpanned munching on popcorn. _Yuki-nii will get on both our cases._ Isane merely threw a pillow at him.

"You'll live Ryuu-nii." _**He's not wrong though...**_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note: My brother owns that Gorillaz sweater and I own one with the band members on the back of it. Anyway help yourself to another bio!  
> Ryuuji Koganegawa  
> Age: 24  
> Height: 5'10  
> Occupation: Glass sculpter  
> Blood type: A-  
> Birthday: December 1st  
> Favorite food: Thai green beef curry and white rice  
> Biggest pet peeve: People are always trying to pay him to sculpt 'unmentionables'.  
> See you all next chapter!  
> Ja'ne- Kitsune to Tenshi-chan

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to see if I can post some of my sketches here for the next chapter. Ja'ne! Leave a review and be civil about it please!


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